Last week Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Supreme Court seemed assured. He was well on his way to securing a conservative majority in the Supreme Court. But now with allegations of sexual assault being brought out against him, his confirmation will not be the easy climb it was expected to be.
Christine Blasey Ford is a professor of clinical psychology at Palo Alto University. She claims that while they were both teenagers, Kavanaugh tried to force himself on her at a party, attempted to remove her clothing and covered her mouth so that she was unable to scream for help. Eventually, she was able to break his grip and escaped by locking herself in a bathroom and fleeing.
Kavanaugh denies these claims and released this statement through the White House platform: “This is a completely false allegation. Because this never happened, I had no idea who was making this accusation until she identified herself yesterday.”
Both Republicans and Democrats alike are calling for further investigation into this case. Kavanaugh and Ford have both said that they are willing to testify. The Democrats have demanded that Kavanaugh’s confirmation process be put on hold while investigation into these allegations are pending.
Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, has called for both Kavanaugh and Ford to “testify under oath before the Judiciary Committee” in a statement on Twitter.
Ford says that the magnitude of Kavanaugh’s appointment is what made her come forward originally. Ford told the Washington Post that she went public about the alleged assault, which would have happened while they were both in high school nearly three decades ago, because it was her duty. “Now I feel like my civic responsibility is outweighing my anguish and terror about retaliation,” she said.
If Kavanaugh is confirmed, he will be the second sitting Supreme Court justice to be accused of sexual misconduct. The other is Clarence Thomas, who was accused of harassing Anita Hill with descriptions of pornographic films and other materials while they both worked together at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in the 1980s.
It is unclear how long this review will take, and whether it will impact the confirmation process of Kavanaugh. On Monday, President Trump indicated that he was interested in hearing more on the matter, despite the possibility of a delay in the process. He said: “We want to go through a full process … and hear everybody out, [Kavanaugh] is one of the great intellects and one of the finest people. … If it takes a little delay, it’ll take a little delay.”
On the heels of the #MeToo movement, more women are beginning to speak out about sexual assaults and harassments they have encountered. This movement is still giving power to women today, encouraging them to speak up despite the fame or political position of the accused. Allegations like these being brought to light should be thoroughly examined and taken seriously.
As of right now the results of these allegations are unknown. Both sides want to testify, and both sides are adamant that they are the one telling the truth.