After a bruising confirmation battle, new Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh got down to work Tuesday, taking his seat on the bench to hear a case on criminal sentencing... A handful of protesters shouting at Kavanaugh..who survived sexual misconduct allegations to win Senate approval..

But by the slimmest margin in more than a century... The 53 year old's arrival in the lifetime post cements a 5-4 conservative majority for decades to come… Unlike Kavanaugh's raucous confirmation vote Saturday in the Senate…there were no outbursts from protesters in the courtroom..

About 20 minutes into the arguments, Kavanaugh asked his first question on the case, which centered on which crimes deserve long prison terms under federal law… During his confirmation hearing last month, Kavanaugh denied allegations of sexual assault brought by California university professor Christine Blasey Ford… Kavanaugh accused Democrats of an "orchestrated political hit", later voicing regrets in an opinion piece…but the partisan tone raised fear that the high court could become an overtly politicized institution.