    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
    [June 1, 2006]
    [Pages 1065-1067]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Swearing-In Ceremony for Brett Kavanaugh as a United States Circuit Judge for the District of
    Columbia
    June 1, 2006

        Please be seated. Thanks for coming. Welcome to the Rose Garden
    where, in a few moments, Brett Kavanaugh will be sworn in as a judge on
    the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
        Today, a court that is often considered the second highest in our
    land gains a brilliant and talented new member. The staff of the White
    House celebrates a friend they admire and a colleague they will miss. I
    congratulate a good man and a fine public servant on a job well done.
        I'm especially pleased to be with Brett's wife, Ashley--[laughter]--whose face I know well and whose
    marriage was the first

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    lifetime appointment I arranged for Brett. [Laughter]
        We welcome Brett's parents, Martha and
    Ed, and his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Nancy and
    John Estes from Abilene, Texas.
        I welcome the star of Brett's most recent televised hearing,
    Margaret Murphy Kavanaugh. [Laughter]
    Margaret has his mother's--has her mother's good looks and her dad's
    preference for hearings that do not last too long. [Laughter]
        We're honored this afternoon by the presence of Justice Anthony
    Kennedy, who hired Brett as a law clerk
    more than a decade ago. He now welcomes him as a fellow judge. And I'm
    also pleased that Mary Kennedy is with us
    today. Thanks for coming.
        The Vice President has joined us. Mr. Vice
    President, welcome. Appreciate Al--Attorney General Al
    Gonzales for being here, and former
    Attorney General John Ashcroft is with us as
    well. I want to extend a warm welcome to Brett's new colleagues on the
    DC Court of Appeals. Thank you all for coming.
        The power to nominate judges is one of the most serious
    responsibilities the Constitution gives the President. Our Founders
    thought carefully about the role they wanted judges to play in the
    American Republic. They decided on a court system that would be free of
    political and public pressure, with judges who are prudent in exercising
    judicial power and firm in defending judicial independence.
        When a President chooses a judge, he owes it to the Constitution and
    to the country to choose with care, and I have done so in choosing Brett
    Kavanaugh. I chose Brett because of the force of his mind, his breadth
    of experience, and the strength of his character.
        Brett grew up in Maryland. In high school, he distinguished himself
    both in academics and athletics. He graduated from Yale with honors.
    What did that feel like?[Laughter] He stayed at Yale to earn his law
    degree. Brett was an editor of the Yale Law Review and impressed all
    around him with his mastery of the law and his strong work ethic.
        After Yale, he embarked on a law career that has spanned judicial--
    on a career that has spanned the judicial branch, the executive branch,
    and the private sector. He clerked for Judges Walter
    Stapleton and Alex Kozinski on the Federal appellate courts and for Justice
    Kennedy on the Supreme Court. He served
    in the Solicitor General's Office and in the Office of the Independent
    Counsel. He was a partner in a leading national law firm. For the past 5
    years, he has served in the White House as Associate Counsel, a senior
    Associate Counsel, and as Staff Secretary.
        Over his career, he's argued cases before the Supreme Court,
    appellate courts, and trial courts. He has given his time and talent to
    provide legal services for those in need. He's earned a reputation for
    integrity and independence. Brett's abilities and professionalism have
    been recognized by members of both political parties. After I nominated
    Brett, a bipartisan group of his law school classmates wrote a letter of
    support saying Brett would bring credit to the distinguished court to
    which he has been nominated.
        Brett's nomination also earned the backing of many leaders of the
    bar, including former Attorney Generals of both parties. And in three
    separate evaluations by the American Bar Association, all 42 reviewers
    rated him as well-qualified or qualified to serve on the Federal bench.
        In the history of the DC Circuit, no judge has undergone a more
    thorough and rigorous confirmation process. And all who watched this
    process saw what I know: that he's a man of fairness, humility, and a
    reverence for the laws and the Constitution of our country.

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        Brett Kavanaugh is one of the many highly qualified men and women
    I've nominated to the Federal courts. These nominees come from many
    different backgrounds, and they bring different experiences to the
    bench. Yet they all have met the same high standards of legal ability,
    temperament, and judgment. I'll continue to fulfill my responsibility to
    nominate men and women of character and integrity who administer the law
    and not legislate from the bench. And I call upon the United States
    Senate to meet its responsibility to give every nominee a fair hearing
    and a timely up-or-down vote.
        When Brett Kavanaugh takes his oath this afternoon, he will carry on
    a fine family tradition. His mother, Martha, was a public school teacher in the District of
    Columbia and went on to serve as a prosecutor and a State judge in
    Maryland. Martha instilled in her son a passion for service and raised
    him to be true to the motto of his Jesuit high school: ``Men for
    Others.''
        Throughout his life, Brett has used his many talents to serve
    others, and today he walks a new path of service: to administer justice
    equally, impartially, without fear or favor. Our Nation is fortunate
    that Brett Kavanaugh has accepted these responsibilities, and I'm proud
    to stand with Brett as he takes his place as a judge on the DC Circuit
    Court of Appeals.
        And now I ask Justice Kennedy to
    administer the oath.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:06 p.m. in the Rose Garden. In his
    remarks, he referred to Mary Kennedy, wife of U.S. Supreme Court
    Associate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy. The transcript released by the
    Office of the Press Secretary also included the remarks of Judge
    Kavanaugh.