On Tuesday, Brett Kavanaugh began his Senate hearing confirmation before the U.S. Supreme Court, but not without a heavy backlash.
President Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh in July of this year to fill the seat of retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, “amid concerns that his appointment could endanger women’s rights to reproductive healthcare,” according to Hello Giggles.
Kavanaugh’s conservative views have come under intense scrutiny from women’s rights organizations and liberal advocacy groups, as his stance on the monumental Roe v. Wade case is still unclear, leaving the possibility of the 1973 court ruling to be overturned.
In response to yesterday’s hearing, women dressed as handmaids from The Handmaid’s Tale waited in the hallway outside the hearing, while several activists found their way inside the court room and interrupted proceedings by shouting, “Threat to women’s rights,” and “Hell no, Kavanaugh.”
CNN reported that at least 30 demonstrators were arrested throughout the day, one of those being actress Piper Perabo. The 41-year-old posted a video on Twitter of herself being escorted out of the court room. She later tweeted, “I was just arrested for civil disobedience in the Kavanaugh hearings. Many citizens before me have fought for the equal rights of women. I can’t be silent when someone is nominated to the Supreme Court who would take our equal rights away.”
I was just arrested for civil disobedience in the Kavanaugh hearings.
Many citizens before me have fought for the equal rights of women. I can’t be silent when someone is nominated to the Supreme Court who would take our equal rights away.#StopKavanaghpic.twitter.com/f3SG7gmVam
— Piper Perabo (@PiperPerabo) September 4, 2018
Shaunna Thomas, executive director and co-founder of women’s right group UltraViolet was also arrested for demonstrating inside the courtroom and The Women’s March Twitter account tweeted that several women’s right’s activist groups teamed up to organize these civil protests.
Kavanaugh’s hearing will continue until September 7, and after the first day of his hearing ending in many arrests, we can be certain the conversations and civil actions will only get more polarizing.