Trump's pick sworn in, squabbles roll on

WASHINGTON－Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump's second Supreme Court nominee, was sworn in on Saturday night, shortly after the Senate passed his contentious confirmation amid fierce partisan fights focusing on sexual misconduct allegations against him.

Hailed as a big political victory for Trump and the Republican Party, Kavanaugh's lifetime appointment as the 114th Supreme Court justice appeared to secure a solid majority of conservatives on the US highest court for years.

In a speech at a rally in Kansas, Trump celebrated the confirmation and condemned Democrats for what he called a "shameless campaign of political and personal destruction" against his nominee.

To cheers of supporters, Trump declared it an "historic night", not long after signing the paperwork to make Kavanaugh's status official.

"I stand before you today on the heels of a tremendous victory for our nation," he said, thanking Republican senators for refusing to back down "in the face of the Democrats' shameless campaign of political and personal destruction".

Nominating Kavanaugh was the second time in two years that Trump has made a Supreme Court pick. The 53-year-old succeeded 82-year-old Justice Anthony Kennedy, who retired on July 31 after having served as a pivotal swing vote between conservatives and liberals on the nine-member bench for years.

As a result, the court now consists of five conservatives and four liberals. There will be no swing vote if none of the conservative justices move to the middle.

The court "will perfectly reflect the deep polarization of the American public and political system," Adam Liptak with The New York Times commented.

The rightward trend of the US highest court is expected to have long-term substantial effects on many issues deeply dividing Americans, such as abortion, affirmative action, voting and gun rights.

The Supreme Court decides matters that shape US politics. It is both the highest appeals panel and a constitutional court in the country.

Slimmest margin

Kavanaugh was confirmed by a margin of 50 votes to 48 in the Senate final floor vote, the slimmest for a Supreme Court nominee in more than a century.

Senator Joe Manchin, who was facing tough re-election campaign in West Virginia, was the only Democrat to vote for Kavanaugh's confirmation.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Saturday that the bitter partisan battle over Kavanaugh's confirmation has revved up Republican voters.

However, Democrats also say their voters are now more fired up than ever to deliver a rebuke to the Republicans in the midterm elections in November, citing women's anger as a force.

During the Senate final voting on Saturday, hundreds of protesters demonstrated on Capitol Hill, with police later 164 of them were arrested.

XINHUA/AP