Judge Brett Kavanaugh announced that he will not be returning to teach at Harvard in January 2019 citing that he could “no longer commit to teaching his course,” according to CNN. Kavanaugh did not explain his decision beyond the commitment issues, but it is heavily suspected that it has something to do with the new wave of public scrutiny he’s faced throughout the Supreme Court nomination process.
Harvard Law School graduates signed a petition against Kavanaugh’s position as a lecturer following the allegations, but the letter had not yet been sent to the dean when the announcement came about Kavanaugh’s withdrawal.
The petition gathered over 800 graduates in just three days and stated that “The accusations against Judge Kavanaugh, including those by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, are credible and grave. They seriously call into question his character and morality, and should disqualify him from…any position of esteem, including lectureships at HLS,” The Washington Post reported.
The Harvard Crimson noted that Law School Dean John F. Manning has stayed mostly silent, besides an email, about the controversy while the students and alumni demand an investigation into Kavanaugh. Harvard’s school newspaper has reached out to administration at the law school, but they have refused to comment on the possibility of an independent investigation through the school. Meanwhile, Yale Law School Dean Heather K. Gerken went as far to join the American Bar Association in their call for additional investigations into Kavanaugh.
The petition details that negative effects that Kavanaugh continuing to teach would have on the student body, “We believe that Judge Kavanaugh’s appointment as an HLS lecturer sends a message to law students, and in particular female students, that powerful men are above the law, and that obstructive, inappropriate behavior will be rewarded.”
Ironically, Politico found that Kavanaugh was set to teach “The Supreme Court Since 2005.” He had been lecturing courses about the Supreme Court and other judicial topics throughout his 10 years at Harvard. During his hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Kavanaugh commented on his teaching, “I love teaching law, but thanks to what some of you on this side of the committee have unleashed, I may never be able to teach again.”