The White House reached out to appeals judge Brett Kavanaugh within hours of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s announcement June 27 that he would soon retire, according to a Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire released Saturday.

Kavanaugh revealed that White House counsel Don McGahn “called me in the late afternoon on Wednesday, June 27, 2018.” The court announced Kennedy’s retirement plans at 2 p.m. that day. The timing appears to confirm indications that Kavanaugh was a top contender for the position well before Kennedy’s announcement.