Article by, Mikayla P.
The Supreme Court is the highest court in America, and those who serve on the court are entrusted with the most historic decisions. After the announcement of Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement, President Trump had the opportunity to replace a second Supreme Court Justice. On July 9, he nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh, a very experienced and trusted Judge. This nomination did not come without recoil; but in the end, justice prevailed.
When President Trump announced his nominee, Senator Chuck Schumer said he would do everything in his power to prevent his confirmation. From September 4-7, the Senate Judiciary Committee held the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings. Protests broke out, and there were memorable moments from this, such as compelling statements from Kavanaugh and statements from Senators which were unforgettable.
Just as Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation seemed inevitable, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford came forth with sexual assault allegations against Judge Kavanaugh. She claimed he sexually assaulted her at a party. Many details were unclear on her end. Meanwhile, two other women came out with similar allegations. This led to a Ford-Kavanaugh hearing on September 27, with a special prosecutor, Rachel Mitchell, leading the questioning from Republicans. After this hearing, the two other allegations were found to be not credible. On September 28, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-10 to further Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Senate floor. Senator Flake was a swing vote in this hearing, and he agreed a supplemental FBI investigation was needed in the case of these allegations. The Senate and White House agreed to this investigation after the Ford-Kavanaugh hearing. A memorable moment from this hearing was Senator Lindsey Graham defending Judge Kavanaugh, saying the Democrats were “power hungry.”
On October 4, the FBI report came out with no signs of corroboration from Dr. Ford’s story. Witnesses say they never saw Kavanaugh at the party Dr. Ford described; this meant Kavanaugh was cleared. On October 5, the Senate voted 51-49 to advance the confirmation vote. Finally, on October 6th, Judge Kavanaugh was confirmed in a 50-48 vote. Senator Susan Collins was a crucial voice for the final vote, where she voted “yes.” Later that day, Judge Kavanaugh was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy.
Ending the saga, on October 8 the President held an official ceremonial swearing-in at the White House. The President apologized to the Kavanaugh family “on behalf of the nation” for the “campaign of destruction.” Both the Kavanaugh family and the President agreed the confirmation process had been very emotional. Justice Kavanaugh said, “My goal is to be a great Justice for all Americans, and for all of America… I was not appointed to serve one party, or one interest, but to serve one nation.”
There is already talk from Democratic Senators calling for an impeachment of Justice Kavanaugh. Justice Kavanaugh is set to begin working on cases on Tuesday, October 9, where his daughters will observe their father on his first day of work.
Photos:
Lindsay Graham photo courtesy of The Weekly Standard
Photo of Kavanaugh being sworn in courtesy of CNN
Cover photo courtesy of The Washington Times
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