Several Democratic presidential candidates on Sunday lined up to call for the impeachment of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in the face of a new allegation of sexual misconduct when he was in college.

Key points: A New York Times report says the FBI did not investigate a sexual abuse claim from Justice Kavanaugh's Yale days

A New York Times report says the FBI did not investigate a sexual abuse claim from Justice Kavanaugh's Yale days Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren says he should be removed from his position

Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren says he should be removed from his position Mr Trump says the allegations are "lies" and calls for Justice Kavanaugh to take legal action against accusers

Justice Kavanaugh, a conservative appointed by President Donald Trump, was confirmed by the US Senate in October after he denied accusations of sexual assault from three women.

After acrimonious hearings, the Senate voted for his appointment to the Supreme Court 50-48, in one of the tightest margins ever for a justice.

The New York Times is now reporting that Justice Kavanaugh faced a separate allegation from his time at Yale University and that the FBI did not investigate the claim.

Former Yale classmate Max Stier describes Justice Kavanaugh pushing his genitals into the hand of a female student at a party.

The report said the classmate notified US senators and the FBI about the incident, but the FBI did not investigate.

The FBI declined to comment on the report.

The latest claim mirrors one offered during his confirmation process by Deborah Ramirez, a Yale classmate who claimed Justice Kavanaugh exposed himself to her during a drunken party.

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Justice Kavanaugh did not comment to the Times on Mr Stier's allegation.

The Supreme Court press officers did not immediately return a request for comment.

When he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee last year, Justice Kavanaugh denied all allegations of impropriety.

"Brett Kavanaugh lied to the US Senate and most importantly to the American people," Senator Kamala Harris tweeted.

"He must be impeached."

A 2020 rival, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren echoed that sentiment.

"Confirmation is not exoneration, and these newest revelations are disturbing," she tweeted.

"Like the man who appointed him, Kavanaugh should be impeached."

Mr Trump says the allegations against Justice Kavanaugh are lies. ( AP: Alex Brandon )

Fellow Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke accused the Republican-run Senate of forcing the FBI "to rush its investigation to save his nomination".

"We know he lied under oath. He should be impeached," he said on Twitter.

Democrats control the House, which holds the power of impeachment.

If the House took that route, a trial would take place in the Senate, where Republicans now have a majority, making it unlikely that Justice Kavanaugh would be removed from office.

Mr Trump, who defended Justice Kavanaugh during his contentious confirmation process, dismissed the latest allegation as "lies".

"Brett Kavanaugh should start suing people for libel, or the Justice Department should come to his rescue," he said in a tweet on Sunday.

It was not immediately clear how the Justice Department could come to the Justice's defence.

Mr Trump added that the allegations were "False Accusations without recrimination," and claimed his accusers were seeking to influence Justice Kavanaugh's opinions on the bench.

Christine Blasey Ford accused Justice Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her as a teenager. ( Reuters: Melina Mara/Pool )

AP/Reuters