Legal Sidebari
Supreme Court Nomination: CRS Products
Updated August 31, 2018
On June 27, 2018, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy announced his retirement from the Supreme Court,
effective July 31, 2018, ending a thirty-year tenure on the Court. On July 9, 2017, President Trump
nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh of the federal Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to
fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court created by Justice Kennedy’s retirement.
Below are key CRS products on the judicial decisions of Justice Kennedy and Judge Kavanaugh, as well
as information on Supreme Court vacancies and nominations. Please contact Caitlain Devereaux Lewis,
Andrew Nolan, Barry McMillion, or the authors of the following products with questions about the
Supreme Court vacancy.
Justice Kennedy and His Impact on the Law
CRS Report R45256, Justice Anthony Kennedy: His Jurisprudence and the Future of the Court, by
Andrew Nolan, Kevin M. Lewis, and Valerie C. Brannon
CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10159,
Justice Kennedy Retires: Initial Considerations for Congress, by Andrew
Nolan and Michael John Garcia
CRS Legal Sidebar LSB 10185, Abortion, Justice Kennedy, and Judge Kavanaugh, by Jon O.
Shimabukuro
CRS Video WVB00220,
The 2017 Supreme Court Term and What It Means for Congress, by Valerie C.
Brannon and Victoria L. Killion
CRS Video WVB00221,
October 2017 Supreme Court Term and Justice Kennedy's Retirement: A Panel
Session Review, Ben Harrington, Valerie C. Brannon, Victoria L. Killion, Caitlain Devereaux Lewis, and
Andrew Nolan
Supreme Court Vacancy and Nomination Process
CRS Report R45300, Questioning Judicial Nominees: Legal Limitations and Practice, by Kevin M.
Lewis and Valerie C. Brannon
CRS Report RL33225, Supreme Court Nominations, 1789 to 2017: Actions by the Senate, the Judiciary
Committee, and the President, by Barry J. McMillion and Denis Steven Rutkus
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
LSB10160
CRS INSIGHT
Prepared for Members and
Committees of Congress
Congressional Research Service
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CRS Report RL31980, Senate Consideration of Presidential Nominations: Committee and Floor
Procedure, by Elizabeth Rybicki
CRS Report R44440, Supreme Court Vacancies: Frequently Asked Questions, by Sarah S. Herman
CRS Report R44236, Supreme Court Appointment Process: Consideration by the Senate Judiciary
Committee, by Barry J. McMillion
CRS Report R44235, Supreme Court Appointment Process: President’s Selection of a Nominee, by Barry
J. McMillion
CRS Report R44234, Supreme Court Appointment Process: Senate Debate and Confirmation Vote, by
Barry J. McMillion
CRS Insight IN10928, Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings for a Supreme Court Nominee: Overview,
by Barry J. McMillion
CRS Insight IN10923, P
resident's Selection of a Nominee for a Supreme Court Vacancy: Overview, by
Barry J. McMillion
CRS Report R44819, Senate Proceedings Establishing Majority Cloture for Supreme Court Nominations:
In Brief, by Valerie Heitshusen
Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Notable D.C. Circuit Decisions
CRS Report R45293, Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh: His Jurisprudence and Potential Impact on the
Supreme Court, Coordinated by Andrew Nolan and Caitlain Devereaux Lewis
CRS Report R45269, Judicial Opinions of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, Coordinated by Michael John
Garcia
CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10191, Judicial Fact-Finding and Criminal Sentencing: Current Practice and
Potential Change, by Michael A. Foster
CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10177, The Essential Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh Reader: What Cases Should You
Read?, by Michael John Garcia
CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10170, Brett M. Kavanaugh: Selected Primary Material, by Julia Taylor, Keri B.
Stophel, and Eva M. Tarnay
CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10168,
President Trump Nominates Judge Brett Kavanaugh: Initial
Observations, by Andrew Nolan
CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10154, D.C. Circuit Rejects EPA's Efforts to Ban Hydrofluorocarbons, by Linda
Tsang
CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10073, D.C. Circuit Upholds as Constitutional the Structure of the CFPB, by
Todd Garvey and Jared P. Cole
CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10032, The Federal Government’s Plenary Immigration Power Collides with the
Constitutional Right to an Abortion, by Hillel R. Smith and Jon O. Shimabukuro
CRS Legal Sidebar LSB 10185, Abortion, Justice Kennedy, and Judge Kavanaugh, by Jon O.
Shimabukuro
Congressional Research Service
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Author Information
Andrew Nolan
Section Research Manager
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff
to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of
Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of
information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role.
CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United
States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However,
as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the
permission of the copyright holder if you wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.
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