Article snippet: MORE put feverish speculation to an end on Monday night when he nominated Brett Kavanaugh, a 53-year-old appellate judge from the District of Columbia Circuit, to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. Here are five big takeaways from the announcement. Trump was at his most conventional The president takes pleasure in transgressing norms in other areas of political debate, but the Supreme Court seems to bring out his most conventional side. The same was true on Monday, when he nominated Kavanaugh with a speech that took in all the usual touchstones and never veered off script. It also included admiring comments from the purportedly anti-elitist Trump about his nominee’s educational and teaching background, which encompasses Yale, Harvard and Georgetown. The pick itself is an orthodox, if conservative, one. Kavanaugh is well-regarded in D.C. legal circles. He worked for the administration of President George W. Bush and was on the list of 25 potential candidates drawn up by the conservative Federalist Society in conjunction with the White House. Even Republicans who are often deeply critical of Trump praised the choice. “A conservative can be a fierce critic of Trump on many key matters and still acknowledge he made an outstanding [Supreme Court] pick,” tweeted one such critic, Peter Wehner, a veteran of several past GOP administrations. “The Rule of Law is our nation’s proud heritage,” Trump said at the White House. “It is the cornerstone of ... Link to the full article to read more