On Sunday a decision was made that could potentially alter the future of Americans for the next generation, at least.
Brett Kavanaugh, a staunch Republican with the second most conservative voting record for the Washington Court on record – ever – was voted into the Supreme Court with a Senate split of 48-50, achieved only by the rebellious vote of one Democratic Senator. His appointment is controversial, to say the least.
The role of Supreme Court Justice is one of the most influential and powerful roles of the American government. The Supreme Court have the final say on many controversial issues, such as abortion and gun control, when certain cases are referred to the court as a last resort. There are seven Supreme Court Justices, meaning that the ideological balance of the court is critical for the President if they want to push through important legislature. Until now, the Court has had a fairly balanced ideology, perhaps favouring a Democratic view, and this undoubtedly helped for certain anti-gun rulings when Obama was President. A Supreme Court Justice serves for life – they are there until they die (or resign). An opportunity to appoint a Justice, and swing the balance, does therefore not come around very often. Shortly before the Presidential elections last year, a space opened up, yet Obama was unable to appoint a more left-wing Justice as the Republicans deliberately stalled the appointment process, and Obama left office before it was completed. So it fell to Trump, and he has succeeded in appointing one of the most conservative politicians in current day America.
Kavanaugh’s nomination is controversial for more than one reason. Firstly, his viewpoint on certain issues; abortion, national security, gun controls. Although giving the impression of supporting the previous rules in favour of abortion, Kavanaugh declined to say directly whether he would vote to repeal the famous Roe v Wade ruling which first legalised abortion in the US. His national security policy encourages further cyber-investigation, something which many Americans see as an impeachment on personal privacy (which is written in the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution as a fundamental right of US citizens). In a vote regarding the use of semi-automatic handguns in DC, he voted against the majority of the court, in favour of allowing handguns, arguing that they were not seen as a dangerous weapon…
Furthermore, Kavanaugh has recently been investigated for claims of sexual assault by 3 separate women.
Thousands of people rallied in protest on Sunday at the nomination of Kavanaugh, the majority of which were female. When the allegations towards Kavanaugh first came out, Trump supported on witness, calling her a ‘reputable source’. He later did a sharp U-turn (in true Trump style), undermining her claims and those of the other women. Trump went so far as to say that the allegations were simply a hoax intended by the Democratic Party to prevent Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Court.
Sexual assault is not a joke, and it requires courage to speak about it in public, especially when it involves a powerful public figure such as Brett Kavanaugh.
In appointing Kavanaugh to the respected role of Supreme Court Justice, many Americans feel that their country has taken a setep backwards in terms of equality and human rights. America is a country that prides itself on freedom – freedom of speech, of thought, of expression. Yet the vote of one man could greatly restrict this, and perhaps even more concerning is that we do not know for how long the Supreme Court will maintain a predominantly right-wing ideology.