Senate is scaring away Supreme Court nominees

Allegations of an assault by Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh on Christine Blasey Ford that allegedly took place 36 years ago surface for the first time days before a scheduled vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee on the nomination. These allegations were known for months by a select few Democrats but never addressed either before or during any hearing of the committee. Such blatant manipulation of the process is reason enough to raise suspicion as to the truth of the allegations as well as to confirm the need to proceed forward with a vote on the nomination immediately. To do otherwise is to reward the dishonesty and corruption that is now the hallmark of current Supreme Court nomination proceedings (“GOP warns time running out for Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser to talk,” Sept. 20).

As it now stands, Professor Ford has nothing to lose. If her story is believed, she has killed a conservative court nomination. If not, she will still be the hero of liberal Democrats and the #MeToo movement for decades. Judge Kavanaugh loses either way. He will be a Supreme Court justice with a stained reputation or another Robert Bork. The framers of our Constitution did not envision that the advice and consent process would be what it is today, a foolish bar room brawl that does not dignify our Republic.

Changes need to be made in the process or we will continue to submit nominees to a demeaning and humiliating protocol that will scare away qualified applicants and bring even more disrespect for our courts.