Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh Has Tested Positive for COVID-19

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who faced allegations of sexual assault around the time of his much-publicized 2018 nomination, has tested positive for COVID-19.

Kavanaugh took a test as part of regular Supreme Court COVID-19 protocols on Thursday, and in a statement he confirmed that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. “He had tested positive for COVID-19. He has no symptoms and has been fully vaccinated since January,” said the court in a statement.“Per current Court testing protocols, all of the Justices were tested Monday morning prior to conference, and all tested negative, including Justice Kavanaugh. Justice Kavanaugh’s wife and daughters are also fully vaccinated, and they tested negative on Thursday. As a precaution, Justice and Mrs. Kavanaugh will not attend Justice Barrett’s investiture this morning.”

The 56-year-old associate justice of the Supreme Court was nominated for his position by Donald Trump in July 2018, and his position was later confirmed in October of the same year to much criticism. The court is expected to begin in-person oral arguments for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down most of the United States in March last year. Both counsel and attorneys will be required to wear masks in the courtroom unless addressing the justices.

Prior to joining the Supreme Court in 2018, Kavanaugh was accused of sexual assault by four women. Christine Blasey Ford, the first woman to come forward with allegations against Kavanaugh, said the assault happened when the two attended high school. She was 15 at the time, and he was 17, and she alleged that he pinned her to a bed and held his hand over her mouth in an attempt to stop her from screaming. The White House later announced it found no evidence to support her allegations.