As FBI investigations and Senate hearings further delay the confirmation process for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, a group of about twenty UW students rallied outside Ross Hall on Wednesday to protest Kavanaugh amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
Equipped signs, chants and a megaphone, the demonstrator’s messages ranged from direct criticism of Kavanaugh to broader statements such as “our bodies our choice” and “believe survivors,” along with statements pertaining to Kavanaugh’s agenda even if he was innocent. The rally’s organizer, UW English Literature major Owen Nowakowski, said the primary motivation was in response to public accusations of rape and other misconduct against Kavanaugh by three women—most significantly by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who claimed that Kavanaugh tried to rape her at a house party in the early ‘80s.
“We’re more here just about the sexual assault itself, we certainly don’t support someone who sexually assaults being on the Supreme Court,” Nowakowski said.
“When three people come forward about someone, the chances of them all lying and putting their careers on the line, risking it all and putting themselves out there, seems like it’s far more likely that they’re telling the truth.”
Casey Randles, Social Sciences and Environment and Natural Resources major, said the rally also served important purposes beyond being a response to the misconduct allegations.
“We wanted to say we disagree with what’s been happening in the Senate, we don’t believe that Brett Kavanaugh should have been passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee,” Randall said. “Expanding further from that, I think this shows support for victims of sexual assault, that we’re going to listen to you, we’re going to hear what you have to say with an open mind.”
The accusations against Kavanaugh had not surfaced as of the initial Judiciary Committee hearings that began on Sept 4. California senator Dianne Feinstein had received a confidential letter from Ford in late July regarding the alleged rape attempt, but took no action related to it during the hearings and referred it to the FBI on Sept. 12—after media organization The Intercept published a story about the letter’s existence.
Before Ford made the choice to go public on Sept. 16, reporters from various publications had already begun seeking contact with her, and other Democratic Party officials had complained Feinstein possessed a pivotal document she was refusing to share with them (according to The Intercept). Feinstein has been accused of intentionally withholding the letter and timing its release for political effect, and Arkansas senator Tom Cotton has stated Feinstein’s office will be investigated for its handling and potential leak of the letter.
In response to the Kavanaugh protest, retired teacher Jean Brown displayed a sign across the sidewalk that read “truth – facts matter” and conversed with students who stopped to chat. Brown, who holds a master’s degree in teaching and has taught courses at Laramie County Community College and at UW along with managing federal grants, said that she was there in support of due process, rather than outright defense of Kavanaugh.
“It’s important to me—innocent until proven guilty,” Brown said. “I don’t want people to be destroyed over an accusation, especially one that’s so terrible.”
Nowakowski said that he supported Brown’s right to be there, but that the expectation for more evidence was unrealistic—and unnecessary.
“There’s really no possibility of evidence more than what we have, and what we have is enough,” Nowakowski said.
In discussions with students who asked about her thoughts regarding the accusations by Ford and other women, Brown said that she would absolutely oppose Kavanaugh’s confirmation if his guilt was properly established.
“We all have to wait until it’s over,” Brown said. “But they’ve already convicted him. I haven’t.”
Brown sees too many holes in the accusations and considers the timing and manner in which they’ve emerged to be suspect, saying that even though she strongly supports victims of assault, these particular circumstances are problematic and seem to her to be based on political maneuvering against Trump’s pick for the Supreme Court—which was a flagship voting issue even in 2016, with calls to vote based on which major party would gain the power to appoint a new justice.
“They don’t want a constitutionalist on the Supreme Court, and they don’t want to threaten Roe v Wade,” Brown said. “Personally I don’t think it will ever be threatened, I really don’t.”
Official investigations and hearings regarding the sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh have been marked by stark partisan divisions, with Republican officials overwhelmingly stating support for Kavanaugh and Democratic officials just as overwhelmingly opposed. Ford has not pressed official charges, and the seventh FBI investigation into Kavanaugh’s background concluded without any new developments, and without interviews with Kavanaugh or Ford.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell filed for a cloture vote which will take place Friday and determine if senators move on to a final confirmation vote.
