When a student is bored in history class and asks the question of "but when will we ever need this", the teacher always responds with some variation of "we study the past so we don't repeat mistakes we've already made". In recent weeks it seems that the United States Senate doesn't remember their past. Three women have come forward accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of behavior indicative of sexual harassment, while Kavanaugh was in high school and college. The Senate Judiciary Committee allowed the first accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, to testify on Thursday.
This is not a new predicament facing a Supreme Court nominee, Anita Hill accused Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment in their shared workplace in 1991 during his confirmation process. Hill testified before the Senate and Thomas continued to be confirmed as a Justice. Hill has spoken on the issue of Ford's accusations and expressed concern that Ford's hearing would not be fair. Hill explains that her own experience testifying during Thomas' confirmation leads her to believe that Ford's story is not being given proper weight and said there should be an investigation opened that follows legal protocol and calls on other witnesses. Fortunately, President Trump has signed off on an FBI investigation into the matter.
The fact that over 20 years after Hill's own hearing she still felt that the Senate would not be fair in their evaluation of Ford's story is incredibly alarming, leading to the conclusion that the Senate never learned its lesson with the Thomas confirmation process and Hill's coming forward. It is quite clear that the political sphere doesn't see any problem with the situation at hand, as it is continually stated that every teenage boy exhibits behavior like Kavanaugh's and that his past shouldn't determine whether or not he is confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice.
President Trump has gone so far as to say that Kavanaugh not being confirmed as a result of the allegations would mean fewer men wanting to get involved in American politics for fear that supposed false accusations will ruin their careers. The position that women who were sexually harassed ruin their attackers' lives and not the other way around perpetuates the dangerous cycle of victim blaming. When we use these excuses to allow potential sexual predators to hold positions of power, it puts every woman working around them in danger and tells men in all other fields that this kind of behavior is okay and nearly encouraged.
The example Kavanaugh will set for future male professionals is the least of the issues here because he will be making decisions on the Supreme Court for the rest of his lifetime. It is clear that Kavanaugh does not have respect for women and that will likely be represented in his decisions on the court. Minorities and mistreated groups have long relied on the Supreme Court to correct inequalities, including women. Having someone on the court who works against women gaining equal standing could be detrimental to the feminist cause and makes the future incredibly scary.
