After weeks of controversy, the Senate has officially voted to approve Brett Kavanaugh as the United States’ newest Supreme Court Justice. The controversial nominee’s name has been the topic of many discussions after two former classmates came forward with accusations against Kavanaugh of sexual assault in the midst of his confirmation hearings.  

President Trump first announced Kavanaugh as one of his nominees for the Supreme Court in early July, causing an ongoing discussion that has questioned if Kavanaugh is fit to be on the Supreme Court. The Congressional hearing began in late September, and was brought into the media’s headlights due to the sexual assault allegations, constant news coverage, and protests.

Hours were spent in committee questioning Judge Kavanaugh, as well as his friends and coworkers, about his legitimacy and intent as a Supreme Court Justice. People both for and against Kavanaugh took turns asking questions directly to the Judge, and often the discussions that followed would quickly got heated on both sides. Many opponents argued the then-nominee would take aim at overturning Roe v. Wade if on the Supreme Court; others feared he would help protect President Trump.  

Just one week after the questioning commenced, Kavanaugh’s nomination was hanging in the balance once more when Dr. Christine Blasey Ford came forward with sexual assault allegations. Dr. Ford first accused the judge of getting heavily intoxicated and assaulting her at a party while they were in high school together. Both gave testimonies in front of Congress, where Kavanaugh notably made false claims of being able to legally drink as a teenager in his home state of Maryland. Fellow Yale classmate Deborah Ramirez also accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault the same month.

Despite the mass outrage from the public, the Senate voted to approve Judge Kavanaugh with a down-to-the-wire vote of 50-48 on October 6th. Prior to the final vote, Rep. Senator Susan Collins and Dem. Senator Joe Manchin were considered the two swing voters. Both ended up voting in favor of Kavanaugh. Meanwhile, Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was the only GOP Senator to vote against him. Every Democrat voted against the confirmation, apart from Manchin.  

With the approval of Kavanaugh as the 114th Supreme Court Justice, the Supreme Court now leans towards conservative-minded ideals, after the preceding appointment of Justice Neil Gorsuch in 2017. Since Judge Kavanaugh’s approval, the court has only seen a handful of cases; and only time will tell how the new Judge will fare on the highest court in America.