One year ago, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford came forward to tell the world that Brett Kavanaugh, then a nominee to the highest court in the nation, had sexually assaulted her. As the Washington Post described: “While his friend watched . . . Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed on her back and groped her over her clothes, grinding his body against hers and clumsily attempting to pull off her one-piece bathing suit and the clothing she wore over it. When she tried to scream, she said, he put his hand over her mouth.”
As the world soon learned, Dr. Blasey Ford was not the only woman to have been sexually terrorized by Brett Kavanaugh. Deborah Ramirez, a college classmate of Kavanaugh’s, told the New Yorker that “Kavanaugh had exposed himself at a drunken dormitory party, thrust his penis in her face, and caused her to touch it without her consent as she pushed him away.”
We now know that there was a third instance of Kavanaugh’s sexual misconduct reported to the FBI last September. Recent reporting by the New York Times has found that Max Stier, another college classmate of Kavanaugh’s, witnessed “Kavanaugh with his pants down at a different drunken dorm party, where friends pushed his penis into the hand of a female student.”
While Brett Kavanaugh has never been called to account for the harm done to Deborah Ramirez and the unknown victim at the second drunken dorm party, he was called in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee to respond to the allegations of Dr. Blasey Ford. In his testimony, Kavanaugh repeatedly perjured himself, denying easily proven facts and attempting to cover up instances of slut-shaming and other sexual activity in his past.
In response to this travesty of a Supreme Court nomination, the United States government failed the country. The FBI, while allegedly re-opening their investigation into Kavanaugh’s past, failed in their public commitment to investigate. The Senate confirmed Brett Kavanaugh, with Susan Collins blaming Democrats for turning the nomination process into a “turbulent, bitter fight.” And now, we have spent a year living with the consequences of having this man on the bench.
Despite the fact that our government failed us, the American people did not. Following the revelation of the sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh, people around the country stood up to demand better from a man being handed a lifetime appointment to the bench. Organizers occupied Senate buildings. Students demanded a true investigation before Kavanaugh was permitted to return to his position as a lecturer at Harvard Law, resulting in Kavanaugh’s withdrawal from the role. And hundreds traveled from around the country to share their stories of surviving sexual assault, hoping that the Senate would care.
With the latest allegation against Brett Kavanaugh, it is time for members of Congress to do their job. A full congressional investigation into Kavanaugh’s past must begin now. If and when that investigation confirms that he perjured himself in order to deceive the country about his record as a serial sexual abuser, he must be impeached. And there must be an investigation into who is responsible for the FBI’s failure to investigate.
While we wait for Congress to act, we know that—like it or not—we have no choice but to stand up, yet again, to demand better. That’s why we’re heading to D.C. on October 6th to Reclaim the Court. We are proud to partner with Demand Justice, the Center for Popular Democracy, the Women’s March, and so many other champions for justice, and we look forward to standing in solidarity with people from around the country.
Brett Kavanaugh has already had one year on the Court. One year to cause egregious harm to women, workers, people of color, LGBTQ people, immigrants, and so many others. We must reclaim the Court. There is no time to wait. We hope you’ll join us in D.C.
If you’re a law student interested in joining the Reclaim the Court action in DC on October 6, please email us ASAP at hello@peoplesparity.org. We may be able to provide travel assistance.