judge brett kavanaugh to fill the vacancy. nbc news justice correspondent pete williams has more on this. >> reporter: yasmin, in brett kavanaugh president trump has chosen someone with deep roots in washington and politics and the law. president trump announced the nomination and praised brett kavanaugh as a solid conservative. >> judge kavanaugh has impeccable credentials, unsurpassed qualifications and a proven commitment to equal justice under the law. >> a judge must be independent and must interpret the law, not make the law. the judge must interpret statutes as written and a judge must interpret the constitution as written, informed by history and tradition and precedent. >> more than any of the others on the president's shot list, brett kavanaugh knows his way around washington. he grew up in nearby maryland