Breaking Down the Kavanaugh Hearings

June 27, 2018: Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement from the U.S. Supreme Court. Kennedy was considered to be the swing vote between the four liberal and four conservative leaning justices. Kennedy often blocked liberal attempts for gun control, however he supported LGBTQ+ and abortion rights. This gave President Donald J. Trump an opportunity to appoint another conservative justice and topple decisions such as Roe v Wade, the landmark case that legalized abortion.

July 9, 2018: President Trump nominated Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to serve as a Supreme Court Justice. Kavanaugh is a Yale University graduate, who worked for Ken Starr, a former federal Court of Appeals judge. Kavanaugh is known for investigating former President Bill Clinton and pushing for his impeachment. He later served under former President George W. Bush and was eventually nominated for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C Circuit, confirmed in 2006. Kavanaugh has an extremely conservative voting record. He has voted against abortion rights, which began to cause concerns for his nomination.

August 21, 2018: Paul Manafort, Trump’s previous campaign manager, was found guilty on eight criminal counts along with Michael Cohen, Trump’s old lawyer who pled guilty to eight criminal counts. Those who oppose Kavanaugh’s confirmation said that his confirmation hearings should be postponed until it was made clear if President Trump was going to be indicted as a co-conspirator in these crimes.

September 4, 2018: The first day of Kavanaugh’s hearings began. The hearing was met with intense protests and was delayed for more than an hour.  The day was met with a mixture of extreme concern and praise for Kavanaugh and his career.

September 14, 2018: Kavanaugh faced accusations of attempted rape when he was in high school in the 1980s. The woman who identified him was, at this time, anonymous and her claims were published in a letter. She claimed that Kavanaugh tried to hold her down and force himself on her, but she escaped. The alleged event occurred in the early 1980s.

September 16, 2018: Dr. Christine Blasey Ford came forward as the unidentified woman who accused Kavanaugh of assault. She said that the letter published was done so without her consent, and therefore she wanted to make her identity known. Calls to postpone the confirmation vote were raised, however they were denied.

September 23, 2018: Deborah Ramirez claimed Kavanaugh assaulted her at a Yale University dorm party. She stated that Kavanaugh exposed himself towards her at the party without her consent. She also said that she would be open to testifying in front of Congress.

The confirmation process for Brett Kavanaugh has been one of the most contentious in the history of a Supreme Court nominee. Ford released a statement that she would be open to testifying in front of the Senate at a later date, which would serve as the reason that his confirmation vote may be postponed. Depending on how Ford’s testimony is reviewed in the Senate, Kavanaugh’s career could be destroyed. His extreme conservative stances are polarizing within the Senate, and the allegations against him are extremely serious. Only time will tell whether Kavanaugh will be confirmed to the Supreme Court or not.