President Trump on Monday nominated Brett Kavanaugh to succeed retiring U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.
Kavanaugh, 53, has been a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since 2006. Kavanaugh also clerked for Kennedy.
Kavanaugh's nomination comes less than a month after Kennedy announced his retirement from the Supreme Court.
Kennedy wrote several landmark gay rights rulings; including the 2015 decision in the Obergefell case that extended marriage rights to same-sex couples throughout the country. LGBT activists are among those who have expressed concern over who Trump would nominate to succeed Kennedy.
"Justice Kennedy kept the court in the mainstream by having an open mind and a commitment to an evolving Constitution," said American Civil Liberties Union Legal Director David Cole in a statement. "Senators should ask Kavanaugh whether he agrees that constitutional law evolves with the times, as it did in recognizing that segregation is unconstitutional, that sex discrimination violates the Equal Protection Clause, and that marriage equality is constitutionally guaranteed."
The Washington Blade will update this story.
This article originally appeared in the Washington Blade and is made available in partnership with the National LGBT Media Association.
