President Trump’s nomination for the Supreme Court is Brett Kavanuagh but because of a sexual assault accusation, controversy ensues.
Brett Kavanaugh has been nominated by President Trump to be the newest member of the Supreme Court of the United States. A politically conservative judge, he will give the Republican party another representative in the Supreme Court and will enforce a much more conservative form of law.
The most important question to ask regarding Kavanaugh is whether or not he is actually qualified for the position. His political views should come second to this as his qualifications are a more important aspect to look at. Although he is younger than the average Supreme Court Justice, the question to ask is: Does he have the necessary experience and professionalism to complete the job? Well, it certainly seems like it.
Kavanaugh’s main connection to the Supreme Court is that he was a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy in 1993 and 1994 according to NPR. Through this, he gained Supreme Court Justice experience that went beyond his knowledge as a lawyer and this is important to consider moving forward in his nomination proceedings. Kavanaugh also graduated from the prestigious Yale Law School which is significant considering three other Justices also graduated from Yale Law School.
According to the United States Court of Appeals, Brett Kavanaugh was also nominated by President Bush for the U.S Court of Appeals for the D.C Circuit and was confirmed in 2006. In most instances, Kavanaugh has been in positions of government rather than private law. He was also an assistant to Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr during the Starr investigations that looked into the Clinton administration.
However, with this nomination comes controversy. Most of the controversy surrounding Kavanaugh comes from his past and, of course, his political views. The most recent controversy surrounding Kavanaugh involves a sexual assault allegation from a private citizen named Christine Blasey Ford. According to Ford, Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her over 35 years ago when they were in high school.
Whether or not the FBI will investigate the allegation is still up in the air. Because of all this, the vote to confirm Kavanaugh has been postponed. Ford has agreed to testify the week of Sept. 24 if the FBI can guarantee her safety as Ford has been receiving both general and death threats from anonymous people. She and her family have also been forced out of their home because of this.
As these are just accusations against a nominee, no one should jump to any conclusions regarding Kavanaugh’s guilt or innocence. A professional investigation must be done because fiction or not, sexual assault allegations against a possible Supreme Court Justice should be taken seriously no matter how long ago the incident occurred.
No Supreme Court Justice should have even the slightest history of sexual assault. The vote and possible confirmation of Kavanaugh should be postponed until all of the information about this accusation is revealed.
Regarding Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court Justice, it is a worrisome situation considering the fact that Kavanaugh believes the President should be protected from any kind of criminal investigations or lawsuits. In a 2009 Minnesota Law Review that included a journal written by Kavanaugh titled, Seperation of Powers During the 44th Presidency and Beyond, he wrote, “Even the lesser burdens of a criminal investigation — including preparing for questioning by criminal investigators — are time-consuming and distracting. Like civil suits, criminal investigations take the President’s focus away from his or her responsibilities to the people.”
This point of view should frighten both the left and right as the President is most certainly not above the law. The law rules over all the land and its people––including the President. To say that the President should be protected from any kind of criminal investigation because they are “distracting” is ridiculous and dangerous, especially considering the shady past and controversies that seem to follow President Trump around like his own shadow.
Brett Kavanaugh is certainly a clean cut looking professional who has been in law for a long time. Experienced, articulate, and qualified. He is a solid nomination for the Supreme Court and his resume speaks volumes. However, the sexual assault accusation should not go unnoticed or uninvestigated. This is a serious situation that no matter how long ago it occurred, should carry the same weight today.