With hours to go before U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh faces questions about alleged sexual assault, a media appearance by his attorney and a last-ditch lawsuit in Washington, D.C., are setting the stage for a contentious hearing Thursday.

All sides involved in the Kavanaugh confirmation fight spent Wednesday girding for Thursday's showdown, where members of the Senate Judiciary Committee will hear from Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, the California professor who has accused him of sexually assaulting her at a high school party in the 1980s.

In remarks prepared for Thursday, Kavanaugh repeated his denial that he never assaulted Ford. The written testimony attempted to fend off the more recent allegations of inappropriate behavior that also threaten to derail his nomination.