Kavanaugh Debuts On Supreme Court, Pledging To Be A 'Team Player'

The Supreme Court welcomes its newest justice Tuesday as Brett Kavanaugh takes the bench for his first arguments since a contentious Senate voted narrowly to confirm him, cementing a decades-long campaign by conservatives to reshape the nation's highest court.

On Monday evening, Kavanaugh, 53, joined family members, friends and President Trump at the White House for a ceremonial swearing-in ceremony, at which the new justice tried to ease the partisan wounds from his confirmation process, during which he was accused of sexual assault when he was in high school.

"The Supreme Court is an institution of law. It is not a partisan or political institution," Kavanaugh said. "The justices do not sit on opposite sides of an aisle. We do not caucus in separate rooms. The Supreme Court is a team of nine, and I will always be a team player on the team of nine."

"On behalf of our nation, I want to apologize to Brett and the entire Kavanaugh family for the terrible pain and suffering you have been forced to endure," Trump said.

"A man or a woman must always be presumed innocent, unless and until proven guilty," the president added, to applause in the White House East Room. "And with that, I must state that, you sir, under historic scrutiny, were proven innocent."

Kavanaugh thanked some of the senators key to his confirmation, including Maine Republican Susan Collins and West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin, who sealed the bare majority needed to confirm him.

"Although the Senate confirmation process tested me, as it has tested others, it did not change me," the justice said, affirming that he's committed to fairness and impartiality on the bench. - Read More

Kavanaugh Debuts On Supreme Court, Pledging To Be A 'Team Player'