Brett Kavanaugh sworn in as SC judge, Trump registers big-win
On Saturday, Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in as Supreme Court judge of the US, giving President Donald Trump a chance to paint the country's political institutions in 'right' color. The Senate voted 50-48 to Kavanaugh, the closest vote in nearly a century. Kavanaugh's nomination was shaken by multiple sexual harassment charges. Ahead of his swearing-in, protesters opposed his confirmation outside the Supreme Court.
Trump, whose Presidency has enabled his critics to assume the White House is in shreds, has all the reasons to celebrate. The Republicans who already had a majority in White House, the Senate, House of Representatives, have an edge over the judiciary's top court too. At an evening rally in Kansas, Trump told cheering Kavanaugh supporters that it was a 'historic win'.
Kavanaugh is a conservative stalwart and his views on making abortion illegal have drawn widespread criticism. A father of two, Kavanaugh's nomination increased concerns that he might swing important decisions towards the right. But, he believes he is "a neutral and impartial arbiter". For the Wall Street Journal, he once wrote, "I am not a pro-prosecution or pro-defense judge. I am a pro-law judge".
But the weeks leading to the crucial vote saw a turn of events. Dr Christine Blasey Ford, a professor of Clinical Psychology at the Palo Alto University in California, came forward with allegations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh. She alleged a drunk Kavanaugh tried to rape her when they were teenagers. After Dr Ford's allegations, more women spoke about Kavanaugh's misconduct, which he denied.
D. Ford and Kavanaugh's testimonies were widely televised, with the former getting support of many. Outside Capitol Hill, protesters shouted 'Shame' and 'November is coming', just as the police took dozens of them in plastic flex-cuffs. Later, Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar told reporters, "It is a sad day, but the recourse will have to be on election day".
