Despite accusations of sexual assault, controversial jurist brett kavanaugh becomes u.S. Supreme court justice. The senate confirmed president donald trump’s arch-conservative nominee by a slim majority of 50 votes to 48.
Opposition democrats voted against the 53-year-old kavanaugh, whom several women accuse of sexual harassment, except for senator joe manchin. Republican lisa murkowski abstained from the vote. The vote was interrupted several times by demonstrators who protested loudly in the public gallery.
The result is a rough domestic political victory for trump. Which of the two political camps profited more from the course and outcome of the dispute over kavanaugh, however, is disputed. Much depends on which constituency is more strongly mobilized, according to u.S. Commentators.
Democratic caucus leader chuck schumer appealed saturday to kavanaugh’s opponents to support republicans in the congressional elections on 6. November to punish. Kavanaugh’s nomination was one of the "saddest moments" in senate history, schumer said.
Republican majority leader mitch mcconnell, on the other hand, said kavanaugh was among the best america had to offer.
Kavanaugh had come under extreme pressure after several women, including psychology professor christine blasey ford, accused him of sexual assault while in college. He denies that.
The personnel issue was the subject of a bitter partisan political dispute. The republicans stuck by their candidate despite the accusations and accused the democrats of politically instrumentalizing the case to harm trump.
The democrats had serious reservations about the arch-conservative judge and tried with all their might to delay the confirmation. They also hoped that the majority situation in the senate could change after the congressional elections, which might have prevented them from nominating the candidate.
In congress on saturday, as in previous days, there were protests against judge. The police arrested dozens of people.
The appointment of a judge to the nine-judge supreme court is a highly political issue in the u.S.A. The judges there are appointed for life. Kavanaugh’s appointment shifts the balance of political power further to the right. A liberal bloc of four judges is now opposed by a conservative bloc of five judges.
This majority of strongly conservative jurists could also decide in the foreseeable future whether a U.S. President can be forced to testify in a criminal trial. The court could also be called upon to rule on the question of how parties are allowed to influence the allocation of electoral districts in their favor.