US President Donald Trump has apologised to new Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on behalf of all Americans for the "terrible pain and suffering" he and his family had endured during his confirmation 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," he said at the jurist's White House swearing-in ceremony on Monday.
Kavanaugh went through a bruising confirmation process in the US Senate, where questions were raised over his partisan rhetoric and allegations of sexual misconduct as a young man.