I’m sure at this point most of you have heard of Brett Kavanaugh and know who he is. For those of you who don’t, he is Trump’s Supreme Court pick to replace Justice Kennedy and, much like the man who appointed him, he is cloaked in scandal. But, before we go into that, here is a little general information on Judge Kavanaugh and his politics.
Brett Kavanaugh is a Republican judge who attended Yale for both his undergraduate curriculum and law school. He has been married since 2004, has two children and is Catholic. He is pro-life and views birth control as abortion-inducing drugs. He is a strong supporter of the second amendment and dissented from a ban on semiautomatic assault rifles back in 2011. He is against government regulation, but in favor of metadata collecting for national security. All in all, he seems like Trumps perfect candidate, but in light of recent allegations he may be too perfect for Trump.
If you don’t know what I’m referring to, just google his name and it will become clear. Yes, just like Trump, Kavanaugh has been accused of sexual assault. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford alleges that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when the two were in high school. She claims that they were at a party where Kavanaugh and one of his friends “corralled” her into a bedroom. She said Kavanaugh the forced her onto a bed where he pinned her down, covered her mouth while she screamed, and started to remove her clothing. She said that, because of his high level of intoxication, she was able to get away before anything more were to happen. Kavanaugh has denied the claims but many, including his accuser, are calling for an investigation to occur before he is confirmed.
In the age of the #MeToo movement and with new allegations about Trump coming in what seems like every other week, you may be thinking: “Ok. But why should I care about THIS case?” Unlike Hollywood, members of the Supreme Court cannot be boycotted or blacklisted and, unlike the presidency, justices cannot be replaced after four years. Once someone is appointed to the Supreme Court, they are on the court for life and have the power affect legality on lower levels all the way up to the constitution. With a seat on the Supreme Court, Kavanaugh would have the power to rule on all laws that affect women, their rights, and rape culture for the rest of his life. If he did in fact commit these acts, it is worrisome that he could potentially use his position of power to protect himself and people accused of similar crimes. It is also feared that he will use his position of power to continue these sorts of actions. There is also the possibility that if he gets away with it that other men in power will continue these sorts of actions because they know there will not be repercussions.
It is important that we hold people in power accountable for their actions in order to change the culture around sexual assault in the United States government and society as a whole.
Follow HCND on Twitter, like us on Facebook, Pin with us and show our Instagram some love!