Kavanaugh sworn in as protesters chant outside Supreme Court

WASHINGTON (AP) — Brett Kavanaugh has been sworn in as the 114th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court after a wrenching debate over sexual misconduct and judicial temperament that shattered the Senate and captivated the nation.

Even as Kavanaugh took his oath of office Saturday evening in a quiet private ceremony, protesters chanted outside the court building across the street from the Capitol.

The climactic 50-48 roll call was the narrowest Senate confirmation in nearly a century and a half.

Kavanaugh’s confirmation provides a defining accomplishment for President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, which found a unifying force in the cause of giving the court a new conservative majority.

Kavanaugh, who’s 53, may well swing the court rightward for decades to come.