Politics

Justice Brett Kavanaugh became the newest associate justice of the Supreme Court when he was sworn in Saturday evening.

On Tuesday morning, he will sit to the left of Justice Elena Kagan, in the most junior spot on the high court's bench, and will hear arguments in three criminal cases before the court.

Here's a quick look at some key information about Kavanaugh as he begins his lifetime appointment to the court.

Updated at 4:50 p.m. ET

The U.S. Senate voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court justice, while protesters gathered outside the U.S. Capitol to voice their anger at the decision.

Kavanaugh's confirmation felt nearly inevitable by Friday afternoon, when two previously undecided senators, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced they would support him. But that near-certainty did not stop protesters from gathering outside the U.S. Capitol and Supreme Court early Saturday.

First lady Melania Trump wants people to stop talking so much about her fashion choices. Standing in front of the Great Sphinx in Egypt Saturday, she told reporters, "I wish people would focus on what I do, not what I wear."

Despite her expressed desires, a series of beige outfits Trump wore on her trip to Africa has been under scrutiny — not because critics find them unfashionable, but rather, because they say the clothing references harmful colonialist attitudes about the continent.

This week in the Russia investigations: 21st century great power competition means the challenge of defending American democracy will get tougher, not easier.

The woods are dark and deep

Americans inside and outside of Washington, D.C., spent the last week transfixed by the drama over President Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court, but there also were ample reminders about how the rest of the world is not standing still.

Updated at 11:31 p.m. ET

A sharply divided Senate — reflecting a deeply divided nation — voted almost entirely along party lines Saturday afternoon to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.

A little more than two hours later, Kavauangh was sworn in during a private ceremony as protesters stood on the court's steps.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has moved to seize former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's condo in Trump Tower in New York.

According to a court filing from Friday, the seizure is expected take place on or after Oct. 20.

The prosecutors said the federal government would "take full and exclusive custody and control" as part of a broader forfeiture, and Manafort signed the document.

Editor's note: This story contains language some may find offensive.

The allegations of drinking and sexual misconduct swirling around Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh have prompted a new round of soul-searching at elite prep schools like the one he attended three decades ago. Schools are taking a hard look at how they may have permitted a culture of drinking and sexual misconduct.

Updated 6:33 p.m. ET

White Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of black teenager Laquan McDonald.

It took the jury of eight women and four men about eight hours to reach a verdict.

President Trump's choice of Brett Kavanaugh is already the most contentious nomination to the Supreme Court since Clarence Thomas won a 52-48 confirmation vote in 1991.

Thomas' was the closest vote confirming a justice since the 1800s, and it followed a stormy hearing and an adverse vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The process nearly foundered on accusations of sexual harassment and racial prejudice.

But the Senate in that day settled down, and Thomas has served on the court for 27 years – a nearly always silent anchor on the court's right.

President Trump says the fight over his Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, is about more than just the nation's highest court. He says it's about how America treats the accused.

Kavanaugh has been accused of sexual misconduct decades ago, allegations he adamantly denies.

Trump tweeted Thursday that "Due Process, Fairness and Common Sense are now on trial!"

Central Park Five case

But Trump has not always been such a staunch defender of due process.

Updated at 8:41 p.m. ET

Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court cleared a key procedural hurdle in the Senate on Friday, and his confirmation now seems all but certain, after a key swing vote, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, declared her support in a speech on the Senate floor.

Moments after Collins completed her remarks, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced in a statement that he too will support the nomination when it comes up for a final vote.

That final vote is expected as soon as Saturday.