With an affinity for Harvard and Yale law school graduates and an objective to recruit women and minorities, U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has hired 48 law clerks as a circuit court judge, a cohort that is an important part of his career and persona.

Nominees rarely boast about their clerks as their nominations are announced. But Kavanaugh did just that on July 9 at his White House debut. “As a judge, I hire four law clerks each year. I look for the best,” Kavanaugh told a nationwide audience. “My law clerks come from diverse backgrounds and points of view. I am proud that a majority of my law clerks have been women.”