Justice Brett Kavanaugh tests positive for COVID-19 just days before new Supreme Court term begins

• Justice Brett Kavanaugh has tested positive for COVID-19, the Supreme Court announced on Friday.
• The positive diagnosis comes days before the new Supreme Court term begins.
• Kavanaugh is fully vaccinated and has experienced no symptoms of the virus.

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh has tested positive for COVID-19, the court announced Friday.

Kavanaugh, 56, received his positive diagnosis on Thursday after a "routine" coronavirus test per the court's "regular testing protocols," the court said in a statement. The associate justice is fully vaccinated against the disease and has experienced no symptoms of the virus.

Kavanaugh's wife and two daughters, who are also fully vaccinated, tested negative, the court said.

"As a precaution," Kavanaugh will no longer attend fellow Justice Amy Coney Barrett's ceremonial swearing-in on Friday, the court added. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the courtroom ceremony was postponed for nearly a year after Barrett was confirmed by the Senate on October 26, 2020.

All nine justices, including Kavanaugh, tested negative on Monday before they met for closed-door conference, the court said. On Wednesday, he participated in the annual ACLI Capital Challenge, a three-mile charity race held in Washington, DC.

The positive test comes just days before the justices are expected to take the bench on Monday, kicking off the Supreme Court term that features a number of high-profile cases, including abortion and gun rights.

Last spring, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the court to go remote and hold arguments via telephone. In September, the court revealed that fall arguments will be held in-person again for the first time since the outbreak began.

Reached for a comment by Insider, a court spokesperson declined to offer additional information on whether Kavanaugh will still return to the courtroom on Monday. All of the justices are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.