Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan declined to talk Thursday about the confirmation process that could seat Brett Cavanaugh and tip the nation's highest court to a conservative majority.

"I think given the events of today that's the one question I'm not going to answer," Kagan told law students during an appearance at the University of California, Los Angeles. "We're right in the middle of events that are swirling around and I just want to leave it at that and make no news with respect to anything I say."

Kagan spoke as the Senate Judiciary Committee grilled Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the California psychology professor who contends that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her decades ago.

The committee was expected to vote Friday on whether to recommend that the full Senate confirm Kavanaugh, who has repeatedly denied the allegations.

For the moment, the Supreme Court is one member short. Justice Anthony Kennedy retired earlier this year.

Kagan told the students that the justices worked "super hard" to find consensus after the death of Antonin Scalia in 2016 temporarily left the panel with only eight judges.