Ethics complaints against Kavanaugh dismissed

WASHINGTON (AP) — A panel of judges has dismissed ethics complaints against new U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

The judges say the complaints must be dismissed because they were filed under a federal law that does not apply to Supreme Court justices. That’s the outcome many ethics experts predicted once Kavanaugh took his Supreme Court seat.

The complaints deal with statements Kavanaugh made during his confirmation hearings. They were filed originally with Kavanaugh’s old court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Chief Justice John Roberts took no action on them while Kavanaugh’s nomination was pending, then transferred them to federal judges in Colorado and neighboring states. Roberts received the first three of 15 eventual complaints on Sept. 20, a week before Kavanaugh’s testimony angrily denying sexual assault allegations.