US Senate begins first procedural deliberations on Kavanaugh appointment
Today, the US Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on whether or not to advance Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court for a Senate confirmation vote.
About a month after his nomination, Christine Blasey Ford, a psychology professor in California, sent a letter to the ranking Committee Democrat Dianne Feinstein alleging that Mr Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her while they were in high school. After four days of rigorous confirmation testimony, as required by the US Constitution, Senator Feinstein proceeded to make public the contents of Ms Ford’s letter.
Kavanaugh’s nomination is now in jeopardy, with the nation taking largely partisan stances on whether or not he is guilty of the allegations before him.
As at least three deciding Republican senators have expressed uncertainty over how they will vote, there is a chance Kavanaugh will not be confirmed. If he is rejected, it would be a significant victory for Democrats, who are in minority. The nation’s political right will certainly protest over what they perceive as a disregard of the “presumption of innocence” standard. If confirmed, however, women’s rights such as abortion may be seriously under threat.
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