The commotion surrounding Judge Kavanaugh in the past week has been impactful and shocking to the entire country. After Dr. Blasey’s testimony recounting her memory of Kavanaugh during her high school years, revealed that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her. As he is now being appointed to the supreme court, the people of the country are on edge. Many loved by Dr. Blasey’ testimony and openly supporting her on social media. After Kavanaugh's official hearing on Friday, many of his old acquaintances have come out and expressed the mistruths in his testimony. Kavanaugh claimed he never blacked out from drinking and was not a heavy drinker. However many have come out and said Kavanaugh was, “belligerent and aggressive”, and even said, “Judge Kavanaugh had “not told the truth.”. In light of these accusations many people question Kavanaugh’s credibility, during the testimony, he was speaking under oath. If he found to be lying it is a felony, and if he keeps it up and lies to the FBI, it is also a felony. This has brought up concerns as he is being appointed into the highest honor of the judicial system, and people question whether he is able to serve correctly if he can’t simply tell the truth how is qualified to hold that honor?
Do you think that even with the multiple allegations it is enough to sway the Senate against Kavanaugh?
Do you think that even with the multiple allegations it is enough to sway the Senate against Kavanaugh?
What do you think this will mean for cases like this in the future, will sexual assault accusations be taken into more consideration, or will some of the Senate continue to turn a blind eye?
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/30/us/politics/fbi-kavanaugh-investigation-scope-democrats.html?action=click&contentCollection=politics®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront
1. No, there was not enough evidence to largely sway the Senate one way or another. In my opinion the Kavanaugh hearing was ridiculous because only one witness was brought against Kavanaugh. Because of this, the senate has to choose which to beleive between Ford or Kavanaugh. Both gave emotional testimonies, and many are doubtful of the truth. To make things clearer, we should have heard from other people: the two other people who had gone to school with Kavanaugh, or Mark Judge, who Ford said was in the room when she was assaulted by Kavanaugh. By presenting the minimal evidence on both sides, it is impossible to come to a clear verdict. The only just thing to do is investigate, which is exactly what will happen.
ReplyDelete2. It depends on the case. Here, I think that many did not believe Ford simply because her testimony was brought in too late. If it was brought forth sooner, the response from the general public might have been different. I don't know. All I can say is that her testimony certainly had weight to it in my opinion. In addition, there is the possibility that republicans simply want to get this nomination through to overturn roe v wade, and Dr. Ford kind of said this when she stated that she did not come out sooner because she would not make a difference in the final verdict. She would argue that either way, Kavanaugh would be confirmed to the supreme court because of the republican agenda. If this is the case, some people will always turn a blind eye, and it just depends how many.
Kate Linenbach
ReplyDelete1. It is hard to say whether or not the allegations will be enough to influence the Senate to vote against Kavanaugh. Although Ford's testimony convinced many U.S. citizens that her allegations are true, there is no way to definitively prove that her story is the truth. However, the way that Kavanaugh behaved while testifying might be enough to convince the Senate that Kavanaugh is unfit to become a Supreme Court justice. While Ford came across as sincere, Kavanaugh was irrationally angry and disrespectful towards Democratic senators. For example, when Senator Amy Klobuchar asked Kavanaugh if he had ever blacked out as a result of alcohol poisoning, he deflected the question by asking Sen. Klobuchar if she had done the same. This exchange was bizarre, and is only one example of Kavanaugh's hostility towards Democrats on September 27th. Ultimately, Supreme Court Justices are meant to be the picture of morality and nonpartisanship, but Kavanaugh is clearly neither of those things.
2. This situation will strengthen the #MeToo movement no matter how the Senate votes. Already, a multitude of women have reached out to Ford to tell their stories of sexual assault and are speaking out to support her. However, it will likely change nothing in the Senate. A situation very similar to this one already occurred when Anita Hill testified in front of the Senate that she was sexually assaulted by Clarence Thomas, who had been nominated for the Supreme Court. Despite her allegations, Thomas was confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice in 1991. This same situation will likely repeat itself today, even though it has been 27 years since the Anita Hill scandal. Therefore, there is reason to believe that the Senate will continue to not take sexual assault allegations seriously.
1. I don't think the allegations will be enough to sway the Senate to not confirm Kavanaugh, as seen with the final decision. Because there was no concrete evidence, the Senate either believed one side or the other. Both sides needed more witnesses in order for both arguments to be valid. I think the lack of sexual assault witnesses physically in court gave way to the Senate's decision to confirm Kavanaugh.
ReplyDelete2. I think it will definitely vary in the future. I think sexual assault awareness has raised tremendously lately, but in court voices aren't always heard. I think in order for a sexual assault victim to take a win there will need to be substantial evidence that is blatantly obvious, especially with the conservative judges.
1. Since the scope of the investigation was small as it only allowed for one witness to come forward. Therefore, there is not enough evidence to sway the senate one way or another. In order to really predict what the senate will decide to do there needed to be a larger investigation that allowed there to be more witnesses and thus more concrete evidence. Without this the Senate is forced to rely on the story of one witness which could possibly urge many to confirm Kavanaugh.
ReplyDelete2.I think that depending whether the Senate confirms or denies confirmation to Kavanaugh will set a precedent for future decisions. If they choose to confirm him, then this will reinforce the policy of keeping a blind eye. While if they choose to deny confirmation, then this could allow for future assault cases to be taken more seriously into consideration.
1. Even with the multiple allegations, I think Kavanaugh will be confirmed by Senate. Only Ford’s allegations had enough ground to make a case, and the event became a politicized tool to advance liberal or conservative views rather than finding the truth. In the end, the Senate and population will remain highly divided, both along party lines and on Kavanaugh, regardless of his position on the Supreme Court.
ReplyDelete2. The Kavanaugh case has bolstered the #MeToo movement. However, Ford is an outlier rather than the trend. Her allegations against Kavanaugh were taken seriously because of the timing, support from the Democratic party, and extensive media coverage. It’s sad to say, but unless future sexual assault accusations can reach the level of exposure that Ford’s did, they will be irrelevant unless there is clear evidence against a future nominee.