I’m tired. Tired of claims that the Democratic National Party is being “rude,” tired of accusations of fearmongering hurled at liberal politicians and most of all, tired of people talking about how great Brett Kavanaugh is as a person. Because the truth is, Kavanaugh does not deserve a seat on the Supreme Court. Actually, Kavanaugh really shouldn’t be anywhere near a court room, period.
SCOTUS nominees are judged in three categories before confirmation: character, faithfulness to the founding fathers’ vision (and the Constitution) and legal experience and education. Kavanaugh fails to meet even the most basic expectations in two of these criteria.
There has been a lot of talk in mainstream media lately about how wonderful a person Kavanaugh is. But those who highlight his volunteer work and his commitment to working with children often do so at the expense of everything else. Admittedly, I’ve had a semi-personal issue with Kavanaugh ever since he claimed he “grew up in a city plagued by gun violence” — I live 30 minutes from where he grew up, and his hometown is one of the nicest and most affluent (not to mention homogenously white) places I have ever seen. But more importantly, Kavanaugh stands accused of sexual assault. Research psychologist Christine Blasey Ford recently went public with claims the SCOTUS nominee once pinned her to a bed at a party, grinded his body against her and attempted to remove her clothing. When she tried to scream, he covered her mouth with his hand.
This is not the kind of person you want deciding federal law ever, but especially not now. Debates over sexuality and gender rights have swept the nation since the Trump administration’s Global Gag Rule went into effect, and Kavanaugh’s confirmation poses a very real threat to women and nonbinary individuals everywhere. While publicly claiming he’d follow the precedent set by Roe v. Wade, Kavanaugh has declined to share his personal opinions on the matter. Even more worrying, he dissented against a majority opinion in a 2017 DC Circuit case allowing an undocumented teenager to take temporary leave of federal custody to obtain an abortion, writing that the majority had “badly erred.”
Civil rights aside, Kavanaugh has also argued extensively that presidents should not be distracted from their responsibilities by potential criminal investigations — a glaring coincidence given that Trump is currently the subject of a special counsel investigation. Kavanaugh also has a strong pro-business stance, favoring large corporations over consumers to the extent that he once questioned the constitutionality of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The man has also verbally indicated opposition to the Affordable Care Act, as well as to comprehensive firearm regulation and legislation.
Our founding fathers intended the Supreme Court to be the weakest of the three branches of government. It’s not. Justices have an enormous influence over policy — evident in federal cases from just the past year — and allowing Kavanaugh a say in that process would be a massive mistake.
The one thing I will grant Kavanaugh is the excellence of his education and legal experience. He went to a fantastic private high school in Maryland, has a law degree from Yale and worked for years both under former Justice Anthony Kennedy and on the DC Circuit Court. But experience and knowledge become irrelevant once you decide to wield them poorly and use them to strip people of their basic rights, which Kavanaugh has done.
Confirming Brett Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court Justice would be cataclysmic for our country. We’re talking about a man accused of sexual assault. A man who lies on record to further his political career. A man who has a legislative track record of repeatedly working against our fundamental civil rights and in favor of big corporations. This man should be nowhere near our federal government.
Nick Shereikis, a Contributing Writer for the Voice, can be reached for comment at NShereikis20@wooster.edu.