On Monday evening, President Donald Trump announced Judge Brett Kavanaugh as his Supreme Court nomination to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy. And, although Kavanaugh is native to the Washington, D.C. area, has several ties to South Florida!
Records show that Judge Kavanaugh worked on two local, high profile cases.
During the early part of 2000, he worked pro bono representing the Miami family members of Elian Gonzalez -- a young child who was found floating on an inner tube after his mother’s death while trying to bring the then 5-year-old to the United States from Cuba.
Gonzalez was eventually removed from the Little Havana home on April 22nd of that year by federal agents and sent back to live with his father, who had stayed in Cuba.
Months later, he worked on several cases involving the Bush family:
- Representing former Governor Jeb Bush in his effort to allow parents to use public money to pay for private, religious school vouchers
- The plan was later struck down by the state Supreme Court.
- Representing the legal team of then-candidate George W. Bush in an effort to stop the state mandated recount of ballots during the lengthy presidential election battle with Al Gore.
The case eventually went to the U.S. Supreme Court, where the Bush campaign enjoyed a 5-4 victory that ended the recount and paved the way for him to become the 43rd President of the United States.