Kavanaugh nomination In 2018, Whelan helped advise his close friend Brett Kavanaugh, a federal judge, in the latter's nomination effort to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. On September 16, Christine Blasey Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University in California, accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting and attempting to rape her in the early 1980s when they were teenagers. Whelan drew considerable criticism when he attempted to defend Kavanaugh, then involved in contentious hearings following his nomination to the Supreme Court. With assistance and information supplied from Creative Response Concepts Public Relations, a conservative public relations firm, Whelan tweeted that Blasey Ford's allegation against Kavanaugh may have been a case of mistaken identity. Whelan went so far as to claim that the real sexual assailant was a Georgetown Prep classmate of Kavanaugh's who he indicated closely resembled him. He also shared the classmate's address and room layout of the man's childhood home, photographs of him, and his full name. After facing strong criticism for what critics called a baseless smear of a private citizen, he apologized a day later for an "appalling and inexcusable mistake of judgment." Blogging In May 2005, Whelan began blogging at the National Review's website. In June 2009, Whelan sparked a controversy in the blogosphere when he publicly divulged the name of a pseudonymous legal blogger in a post entitled "Exposing an Irresponsible Anonymous blogger". Whelan apologized to the blogger for the disclosure, and the blogger accepted Whelan's apology. Books Whelan is also the co-editor of three volumes of Justice Antonin Scalia's work: Scalia Speaks: Reflections on Law, Faith, and Life Well Lived, a New York Times-bestselling collection of speeches by Justice Scalia; On Faith: Lessons From an American Believer, a collection of Justice Scalia's writings on faith and religion; and The Essential Scalia: On the Constitution, the Courts, and the Rule of Law, a collection that highlights Justice Scalia's jurisprudence. The works have been critically acclaimed. Each has featured a foreword from one of Scalia's former colleagues on the Supreme Court, including Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice Clarence Thomas, and Justice Elena Kagan. See also List of law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States (Seat 9) References External links Living people Harvard Law School alumni Law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States 1960 births American lawyers United States Department of Justice lawyers American