Kavanaugh takes charge as SC justice, Trump apologises for heated process

Kavanaugh said on Monday that he was starting his new job without bitterness, seeking to set a new tone after the divisive process

US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh sought to put a bruising confirmation battle behind him on Monday at a White House ceremony in which President Donald Trump declared him innocent of sexual misconduct and apologised for the heated process.

"On behalf of our nation, I want to apologise to Brett and the entire Kavanaugh family for the terrible pain and suffering you have 

been forced to endure," Trump said at the start of a ceremonial swearing-in in the East Room of the White House.

"Those who step forward to serve our country deserve a fair and dignified evaluation, not a campaign