Senate confirms Brett Kavanaugh 50-48

The Senate voted 50-48 Saturday to confirm Brett Kavanaugh as the United States' newest Supreme Court justice.

Kavanaugh's confirmation process has been fraught with scandal, as he was accused by three women of sexual assault and other misconduct in his high school and college years. The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony from Kavanaugh and his primary accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, last week, and senators on Thursday and Friday reviewed the results of a week-long FBI investigation into the allegations.

The confirmation vote was mostly along party lines, though Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) crossed the aisle to support Kavanaugh, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who opposed the confirmation, voted "present" so Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), a "yes" vote, would not have to skip his daughter's wedding.

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President Trump hailed the confirmation on Twitter earlier Saturday:

Kavanaugh is Trump's second Supreme Court nominee to be confirmed; the first was Justice Neil Gorsuch. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the oldest sitting justice and a reliable member of the court's left flank, has long since indicated she does not wish to resign until a like-minded replacement is assured.