Every new Supreme Court justice takes on the lifetime appointment differently. Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, who survived his confirmation battle in 1991 after similar accusations of sexual harassment, went virtually silent on the bench. Last year, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch made clear he would be his own man, dissenting on principle early and often.
Kavanaugh, by contrast, has sought to blend in seamlessly. He's been collegial with his colleagues on the left and right. He's been intently focused during oral arguments, like a student who sits in front and raises his hand often.
Perhaps most significantly – from the limited evidence – he has not joined the court's most conservative justices in public dissent on two major issues. Neither has Chief Justice John Roberts.
“The early signs," says Ian Millhiser, senior fellow at the liberal Center for American Progress, "suggest that he is more Roberts than Gorsuch.”
After a confirmation process that lasted from early July to early October, Kavanaugh, 53, had good reason to keep a low profile.
He was the second nominee of a controversial president. He came with a lengthy paper trail – so lengthy that Senate Republicans refused to release it all – that included stints investigating Bill Clinton and serving George W. Bush.
