Judge accused of violence: What you need to know about the "case of Brett Cavanaugh"
Dmitry Kurkin
Senate hearings on the case of Judge Brett Cavanaugh promise to be the main political process of the decade in the United States and, potentially, the loudest trial of the so-called #MeToo era. The representative of the Republican Party, nominated by President Donald Trump for the post of Supreme Court, is accused of attempted rape: psychology professor Kristin Blezy Ford said that at one of the parties, seventeen-year-old Kavano tried to force her to have sex (at that time Ford was fifteen). Kavano categorically denies the charges, calling the process a politically biased "circus."
The public hearings, broadcast live, unfold according to all laws of legal and political dramas - they are already compared to TV shows like “The Good Wife” and “The House of Cards”. Another obvious parallel was the case of Anita Hill, who opposed Judge Clarence Thomas in 1991 (at that moment he, like Kavano today, claimed the post in the Supreme Court): then the concept of "harassment" thundered for the first time to a multimillion audience. on TV. The circle closes.
Who and what accuses Kavano
Three women accused Brett Cavanaugh of sexual abuse, Christine Blaze Ford, Deborah Ramirez and Julie Svetnik - all three describe similar incidents that they said happened in the early eighties. Of the three accusers, only Ford speaks in the senate, however, her testimony was enough for several people to cry in the current hearing. According to her version, at a party in the summer of 1982, Kavano drunk her, dragged her into bed, tried to immobilize and undress, and also closed her mouth with her hand when she tried to call for help. Ford, scared that Kavano might accidentally strangle her, managed to escape and run away.
She decided to tell about the incident only when it became aware of the nomination of Cavanaugh, and on the terms of confidentiality. Her identity was revealed only on September 16, when it became clear that without her participation, hearings in the Senate could not take place. Ford admits that it is still difficult for her to talk about her experiences. “I’m not here today because I want this. I’m terrified,” she said at the meeting. “I’m here because I’m convinced that my civic duty is to tell what happened to me when Brett Cavanaugh and I were older school grades. "
Line of defense
Ford claims that Cavanoe's friend Mark Judge was in the room during the incident. The author of the biographical book "In the Drool: Stories of a Drunk from Generation X", published in 1997, was a member of the self-proclaimed "Club of a hundred beer barrels" in high school, later treated for alcoholism and today leads a relatively secluded life. He could have become a key witness at the hearing, but refused to speak, limiting himself to a written statement. Judge said he did not remember anything that Ford had said, and for him the accusations against Kavano sound "absolute savagery."
Kavano rejects all the accusations against him and insists that the current hearings are nothing more than “revenge” and a campaign of discredit organized by the democrats. At the hearing, he avoided direct answers, calling the events "grotesque and organized political assassination." Talking about the time when the incident with Ford was allegedly occurred, Kavano admitted that he had been leaning heavily on beer in his youth. At the same time, he insists that in 1982 he kept a diary in which nothing is said about the party where an incident with Ford could have happened. To the clarifying question of the Democratic senator Amy Klobuchar, if he ever got drunk before unconsciousness, the judge replied: “I don’t know. And you?” He later apologized.
Political process
It is worth noting that Cawano’s criminal prosecution is not yet being discussed: the prosecutors insist that the FBI should investigate his case, but Cavano did not give his consent. The Senate Judicial Committee decides whether to take into account the testimony of Ford as an argument against his candidacy for the position of one of the nine main people of the judiciary in the United States. Members of the Supreme Court are appointed for life and are updated on average every few years. After the retirement of Anthony Kennedy, who was nominated for Cavano, four representatives from the Democrats and the Republicans remained in the Supreme Court. The latter obviously do not want to lose the principled numerical superiority in the court of first instance, deciding the most important issues concerning the constitutional rights of citizens (from applying the death penalty to legalizing the right to marry for LGBT people).
The chances that Brett Cavanaugh will be appointed chairman of the Supreme Court are still great: in the senate, who will consider his candidacy if the Senate’s law committee votes for the nomination, the Republicans have a majority (51 against 47 Democrats and two independent senators ). However, even party members of the judge - above all, women - are beginning to doubt whether it is worth supporting his nomination in the light of such serious accusations. Understanding this, the core of the Republican Party insisted that the vote on the candidacy of Cavano in the Senate be held soon. The time and the reaction of the society, which is growing day by day, are playing into the hands of the democrats: many human rights organizations, including those supporting the victims of sexual violence, have come out against the figure of Kavano in the Supreme Court.
Addition. The Senate Judicial Committee voted for Brett Cavanaugh’s nomination to the US Supreme Court (11 votes in favor and 10 against). At the same time, Senator Jeff Flake asked to postpone the vote for at least one week to allow the FBI time to conduct an investigation into Cavanaugh.
Photo: Flickr, Jacquelyn Martin / AP / TASS