Kavanaugh Will Forgo Traditional Walk Down Supreme Court Steps

(Bloomberg) -- A formal ceremony next week at the U.S. Supreme Court for new Justice Brett Kavanaugh won't include the traditional walk down the court's front steps, the court's spokeswoman said Friday, citing security concerns.

New justices normally walk down the court's steps with the chief justice, providing an iconic photo opportunity, after their formal investiture ceremony at the court. Every new justice has done it since John Paul Stevens, who joined the court in 1975, said spokeswoman Kathy Arberg.

She said that won't happen for Kavanaugh's ceremony Thursday "out of an abundance of caution due to security concerns."

Kavanaugh won Senate confirmation earlier this month after a divisive fight over allegations that he committed sexual assault decades ago. He denied the claims.

Arberg declined to say whether President Donald Trump will attend, as he did last year for the investiture ceremony for his first Supreme Court appointee, Justice Neil Gorsuch.

To contact the reporter on this story: Greg Stohr in Washington at gstohr@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Laurie Asséo, Justin Blum

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