This confirmation was supposed to be apocalyptic. That’s what I predicted. One of the closing paragraphs of “Justice On Trial: The Kavanaugh Confirmation and the Future of the Supreme Court,” the book I wrote with Carrie Severino:
As ugly as Kavanaugh’s confirmation battle became, he is unlikely to shift the Court dramatically. Except on abortion and homosexuality, Justice Kennedy usually voted with the conservatives. If Justice Ginsburg were to retire while Trump was in the White House, the resulting appointment would probably be like the Thomas-for-Marshall trade. Compared with what might follow, the Kavanaugh confirmation might look like the good old days of civility.