The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land.  It interprets the law and sets precedents that the entire country has to follow.  The Supreme Court has nine justices that serve for life, and those justices are nominated by the President, then confirmed by the Senate.

President Donald Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh to the supreme court in the place of Justice Scalia, who died during Obama’s presidency.  Brett Kavanaugh attended Yale, served as law clerk to Justice Anthony M Kennedy, and served as a partner at the DC law firm, Kirkland and Ellis.  He was nominated to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals by Bill Clinton in 2006, where he served until his appointment to the Supreme Court.

The confirmation process of Justice Kavanaugh did hit one major hiccup.  Dr. Blaisy Ford came forward and accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault. More specifically, she alleges that, during a high school party, Kavanaugh pulled her into a secluded bedroom, groped her, attempted to remove her clothing, and covered her mouth with his hand when she tried to yell for help.  He also faced a second set of accusations from Deborah Ramirez. Dr. Ford testified at Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing, a testimony that was heart wrenching to listen to, but also relatively contained in the face of many questionnaires seeking to prove this woman a liar.

Many of those involved in the confirmation process called for an FBI investigation to further shed light on the details of the situation, a request that was answered.  Although an FBI investigation into the incident did occur, it was woefully incomplete. Agents did not question Dr. Ford, nor did they question Kavanaugh himself. In the end, Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court.  This has stricken much controversy through the nation, especially on the severity of sexual harassment. Some parents have adopted a “no means no” attitude, saying that non-consensual situations are unacceptable, no matter the severity.  Other parents have more of a “boys will be boys” viewpoint, saying that groping or assaulting women is a normal thing that most highschool boys do. Despite personal opinions on the validity of Dr. Ford’s allegations, in this administration there seems to be a direct correlation between accusations of sexual assault and positions of power.