The Senate confirmed Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court on Oct. 6 with a vote of 50-48, the closest margin for a nominee in history. All Republicans, except Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, voted yes. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., broke party lines to vote yes as well.
The vote was delayed a week due to an FBI investigation into allegations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh from three women. 10 people were interviewed during the investigation, including one of Kavanaugh’s accusers, Deborah Ramirez. However, the other two women were not contacted by the FBI. Every senator was able to see the report.
Tim Kaine, D-V.a., called the investigation “a sham” and was angry that it only took five days. Kaine also felt that many relevant witnesses were not interviewed, such as the other women who accused Kavanaugh. Senate Republicans released a summary of the report crediting the FBI with interviewing “all witnesses with firsthand knowledge” of the accusations.
The final vote came down to four senators, Jeff Flake, Lisa Murkowski, Joe Manchin, and Susan Collins, a St. Lawrence alum. Murkowski decided to vote no the day before the final vote, saying “he’s not the right man for the court at this time.” Her state also happens to have the highest rate of sexual assault in the nation, according to TIME Magazine.
Flake and Manchin said the FBI report revealed no new information to persuade them to change their votes. Manchin is also up for reelection in a red state this November, and a lot of West Virginia voters supported his yes vote.
Many St. Lawrence students and alumni were upset at Collins’ support of Kavanaugh. A letter signed by thousands of students and alumni to President Fox and the SLU Borad of Trustees requested that the University revoke an honorary degree given to Collins in 2017.
In a statement to the Watertown Daily Times, St. Lawrence spokesman Ryan Duel said the University is nonpartisan, and that since St. Lawrence has never rescinded an honorary degree before, they “have no intention of doing so in this situation.”
Kavanaugh was officially sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice after the vote and a formal ceremony was held Oct. 8. Trump praised Kavanaugh for his handling of the investigation and apologized for the “terrible pain and suffering” of his family during the confirmation process. Kavanaugh said the process did not change him, and he will be an impartial justice.
With Kavanaugh’s there are now two justices on the Supreme Court who have been accused of sexual misconduct.