Former White House Staff Secretary, Brett Kavanaugh, is officially confirmed to the United States Supreme Court.
According to CNN, the final vote was 50-48, and despite interruptions from angry protestors, the pivotal vote was made. There is now a Republican majority on the Court.
Kavanaugh will replace Supreme Court Justice, Anthony Kennedy. Kennedy announced this past June his plans to retire in July. Justice Kennedy’s retirement is the reason for an opening on the Supreme Court. As follows, President Donald Trump was presented with the opportunity to nominate a new Supreme Court Justice.
As we know, Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh, and here we are.
With Kavanaugh officially confirmed to the United States Supreme Court, Democrats and Republicans are divided more than ever. There has been complete social unrest in the last few days as protesters take to the streets of Washington and social media platforms are ablaze with tweets about the injustice of an alleged sexual perpetrator now serving life as an integral decision maker of the highest court in the country.
What this means for women rights:
What most people do not realize is that back in 1992, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s swing vote safeguarded Roe v. Wade in the close 5–4 decision of Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Once more, Kennedy was a pivotal vote in the 2016 case of Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, which prohibited the Texas legislature from restricting access to abortion services.
In 2017, Kavanaugh in a very public speech applauded the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist’s opposition from the Roe v. Wade decision. Will Kavanaugh intend to push for legislation to overrule Roe?
It is troublesome that Kavanaugh will now serve on the Court with reprehensible viewpoints on women’s reproductive rights.
Sexual assault victims no longer have a voice. Despite #MeToo movements aiding and progressing against rape culture in this country, Kavanaugh’s confirmation by the United States Senate tells women everywhere:
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We as a nation do not believe women.
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We do not believe sexual assault victims.
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A man’s word is stronger than any number of women.
What this means for LGBT folks:
Former Justice Justice Anthony Kennedy stood up for the rights of the LGBT community. Kennedy wrote the majority opinion in Romer v. Evans, a case that struck down an amendment to the Colorado state constitution that “prohibited state and local governments from ratifying laws that protected LGBT individuals.”
In Kennedy’s opinion, he wrote that a state cannot deny homosexual, lesbian, or individuals of bisexual orientation the right to seek and receive legal protection from discrimination.
Another misconception:
It was a hearing, not a trial.
What people need to understand is, undoubtedly, Kavanaugh’s hearings were by no means a criminal trial ending in a prosecution and sentencing. Unlike a criminal trial, there was no need to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.
Remember, Kavanagh was on the stand in an interview for one of the most revered, respected, and powerful positions in the United States. Kavanagh’s fiery rage and lack of ability to remain poised and respectful during his hearings showed the lack of tact, maturity, and sensibility to be on the Court.
“Judicial temperament is one of the most important qualities of a judge,” a collective letter from over 2,400 law professors reminds us.
After Kavanaugh’s hearing, Senator Amy Klobuchar pronounced that she surely would have been “thrown” out of a courtroom if she had acted in such an undiplomatic and aggressive manner the way Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh did during his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Furthermore, Kavanaugh’s hearings made clear one thing: we cannot have a man that has been accused of varying degrees of sexual assault, by not one, but three different women, during momentous years of his life- no matter how many decades ago- be confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice.
Victim Blaming
Dr. Christine Blasey Ford risked everything to bring her testimony to light. Dr. Ford surrendered her personal safety, as she is still unable to return home due to “the volume of death threats she has received since she accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault,” her lawyers reported Sunday.
Dr. Ford’s world has been uprooted and her safety threatened, yet her mission was to see that justice would be met and to be a voice for sexual assault victims who are not heard nor believed.
Ford has many who still support her bravery. Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, stated that Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh should not be confirmed to the United States Supreme Court.
We have a man who has been accused of sexual assault, and there are many loose ends. We should not have any individual appointed to one of the most significant and powerful positions in the United States under such allegations.