the court is in session
These are the first cases Brett Kavanaugh will hear as a Supreme Court justice
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh isn't wasting any time.
After being sworn in on Monday night, Kavanaugh is set to join the court Tuesday to hear his first oral arguments. His first cases have to do with a law requiring that if individuals are convicted of firearms possession, and they have already been convicted of three violent felonies, they are to receive a longer sentence, per The New York Times. The question before the court is what, exactly, constitutes a violent felony under that law.
After that, Kavanaugh will hear arguments regarding whether the Department of Homeland Security has the authority to detain certain undocumented immigrants with criminal backgrounds without a bond hearing while their case is dealt with, per The Atlantic. Kavanaugh's next case will then have to do with whether the manufacturer of a ship's equipment can be held liable for asbestos-related injuries Navy sailors sustain if the asbestos was added later by companies that aren't in business anymore, USA Today reports.
The Supreme Court's term began on Oct. 1, but Kavanaugh is joining a week late after Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) called for a supplemental background investigation in light of multiple sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh, which he denies. On Saturday, the Senate confirmed Kavanaugh 50-48, and he is now expected to shift the court to the right for decades to come. Kavanaugh, however, said Monday night that he would be "independent and impartial" on the court.