New SCOTUS Judge

Status
Not open for further replies.
Meadmaker said:
In the absence of other evidence, it seems to me we have to find in favor of the accused, but there's plenty of time for other evidence to be put forward.
Click to expand...

Eh, I don't believe this. We aren't the jury of a criminal court, and neither is is Senate Judiciary Committee. Furthermore, even if we were, testimony alone can be sufficient evidence (it varies by State, and I can't find what the standard is for Maryland).
 
dudalb said:
This won't be another Anita Hill in terms of "getting away with it" with voters.
Click to expand...


Given the rabid support for the GOP amongst their primary constituency, even women, the GOP's demonstrated effectiveness in smearing opponents, and the fact that so many GOP voters were happy to vote for an accused rapist and child molester, combined with the inability of the Dems to pull their heads out of their collective asses and see which way the wind is blowing from their constituency, I have no doubt that they will get away with it quite easily, and it will have little to no effect on the upcoming mid-term elections.
 
dudalb said:
PUtting aside the fate of Kavenaugh for a while, the GOP Senators need to handle this very carefully. If they go full scale assault on Ford, it is going to backfire on them bigtime in November. The GOP is already in deep kimchee with women voters, and an open assault on Ford will cost them votes they simply cannot afford to lose.
It ain't 1991,folks.Things have changed. This won't be another Anita Hill in terms of "getting away with it" with voters.
And I suspect that is what will happen...a massive personal attack at the hearing at Ford...simply because they don't know what the hell else to do.
And, yes, I do think the timing of this was politically motivated,but givne the crap the GOP has pulled they have no business complaining about it.
Click to expand...

It is interesting to see this comparison:

“Chairman Grassley today said there would be only two witnesses invited to testify at the Kavanaugh hearing next week on sexual assault allegations. Compare that to the 22 witnesses at the 1991 Anita Hill hearing and it’s impossible to take this process seriously,” she said in a statement.

“What about other witnesses like Kavanaugh’s friend Mark Judge? What about individuals who were previously told about this incident? What about experts who can speak to the effects of this kind of trauma on a victim? This is another attempt by Republicans to rush this nomination and not fully vet Judge Kavanaugh.”
Click to expand...

Linky.
 
I will be very surprised if this derails his appointment. I don't support him, but OTOH if this was a one-time drunken groping at 17, I don't think that in itself should disqualify him. I DO think if it's true he should fall on the mercy of the court (public opinion and the senate in this case) and say so. And be repentant. Really repentant. Because it's the lying about it now...and the fact that he sits in judgment of others.

I'm suddenly wondering if he has heard any rape or assault cases in his career?
 
Last edited:
Trump slipping away from his handlers again:

President Trump amplified his support Tuesday for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in the face of a sexual assault allegation, saying he feels “terribly” for Kavanaugh and his family.

“I feel so badly for him that he is going through this, to be honest with you,” Trump said during a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda. “I feel so badly for him. This is not a man that deserves this.”
Click to expand...

Linky.

Truly returning to the mean.

Collins is asking that Kavanaugh's attorney be able to question Ford, and vice versa.

Grassley, meanwhile, is saying that Ford has not responded to attempts to contact her.

There is still no FBI investigation.
 
sylvan8798 said:
I will be very surprised if this derails his appointment. I don't support him, but OTOH if this was a one-time drunken groping at 17, I don't think that in itself should disqualify him. I DO think if it's true he should fall on the mercy of the court (public opinion and the senate in this case) and say so. And be repentant. Really repentant. Because it's the lying about it now...and the fact that he sits in judgment of others.

I'm suddenly wondering if he has heard any rape or assault cases in his career?
Click to expand...
WTF? WHY NOT? Is it really that hard to find SCOTUS candidates who have never put someone in fear for their life while sexually assaulting them?

Yeah, such a person may deserve to rehabilitate themselves and have a career. But the idea that they should remain qualified for a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land can only originate in the mind of someone who's been absolutely brainwashed into believing that sexual assault is no big deal.
 
Huh, so he doesn't remember the party in question but now remembers it was just rough horseplay?
 
News from Ford:

The woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault says the FBI should investigate the incident before senators hold a hearing on the allegations.

In a letter addressed to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa, and obtained by CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360," Christine Blasey Ford's attorneys argue that "a full investigation by law enforcement officials will ensure that the crucial facts and witnesses in this matter are assessed in a non-partisan manner, and that the Committee is fully informed before conducting any hearing or making any decisions."

The letter from Ford's lawyers notes that despite receiving a "stunning amount of support from her community," Ford has also "been the target of vicious harassment and even death threats" and has been forced to leave her home.

"We would welcome the to opportunity to talk with you and Ranking Member Feinstein to discuss reasonable steps as to how Dr. Ford can cooperate while also taking care of her own health and security," the letter from Ford's lawyers said.
Click to expand...

Linky.
 
Babbylonian said:
Is it really that hard to find SCOTUS candidates who have never put someone in fear for their life while sexually assaulting them?
Click to expand...
No, but it gets harder when you narrow the field down to conservative candidates.

...can only originate in the mind of someone who's been absolutely brainwashed into believing that sexual assault is no big deal.
Click to expand...
Deplorables don't need to be brainwashed into believing such a thing - it comes naturally to them.
 
Tsukasa Buddha said:
News from Ford:


Linky.
Click to expand...

The FBI ain’t her private investigator, particularly for something that isn’t a federal crime in the first place, and on which the statute of limitations ran decades ago.

Lets reschedule the vote, and assign this stall tactic to the dustbin of history
 
Last edited:
Roger Ramjets said:
No, but it gets harder when you narrow the field down to conservative candidates.
Click to expand...
Solid joke, but it really does make me feel insane when people make comments like that. There are over 1.1 million lawyers in the United States. 0.0008% of those lawyers get to be Supreme Court justices at any given moment. Eliminating attempted rapists from eligibility seems pretty damned reasonable, whether they tried to rape someone 40 years ago or yesterday.

Forgiveness doesn't require keeping every conceivable opportunity open.
 
Babbylonian said:
Solid joke, but it really does make me feel insane when people make comments like that. There are over 1.1 million lawyers in the United States. 0.0008% of those lawyers get to be Supreme Court justices at any given moment. Eliminating attempted rapists from eligibility seems pretty damned reasonable, whether they tried to rape someone 40 years ago or yesterday.

Forgiveness doesn't require keeping every conceivable opportunity open.
Click to expand...

"Forgiveness" should require some form of serious apology, at least. "Here's what I did wrong, I'm deeply sorry, I'll behave better in the future.", that sort of thing.

This is especially true when we discuss actual conservatism, rather than the bigots and authoritarians that dominate the modern GOP. After all, if you'll accept Roy Moore sexually assaulting 14 year olds as an adult, seems to me you'd have no problem with the accusations against Kavanaugh.
 
Mumbles said:
"Forgiveness" should require some form of serious apology, at least. "Here's what I did wrong, I'm deeply sorry, I'll behave better in the future.", that sort of thing.
Click to expand...
True that and, to be fair, sylvan included that in the post that started this conversation segment.

Still, at the end of the day, there is no apology for/acknowledgment of wrongdoing that justifies to me putting an attempted rapist on the Supreme Court. Again, there are over 1.1 million lawyers and finding one without a history of serious crimes should be super easy. If that isn't a large enough group, there is no constitutional requirement for a Supreme Court justice to hold a law degree at all...
 
Babbylonian said:
WTF? WHY NOT? Is it really that hard to find SCOTUS candidates who have never put someone in fear for their life while sexually assaulting them?

Yeah, such a person may deserve to rehabilitate themselves and have a career. But the idea that they should remain qualified for a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land can only originate in the mind of someone who's been absolutely brainwashed into believing that sexual assault is no big deal.
Click to expand...

This single act of a 17 put a hurt on a person that lasted decades.
 
The Big Dog said:
The FBI ain’t her private investigator, particularly for something that isn’t a federal crime in the first place, and on which the statute of limitations ran decades ago.

Lets reschedule the vote, and assign this stall tactic to the dustbin of history
Click to expand...

It happened in Maryland. That state has no Statute of Limitations for felony sexual assault.

At any rate, this is the party that favors prosecuting teens as adults, so the fact that he was only 17 is irrelevant. A teen accused of that in real time, especially one who was black or poor, would certainly be charged as an adult.

Unless, of course, the Republicans want to be hypocritical about things.
 
Babbylonian said:
But the idea that they should remain qualified for a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land can only originate in the mind of someone who's been absolutely brainwashed into believing that sexual assault is no big deal.
Click to expand...
I find my own copious imperfections and checkered past to be such that, were society to judge and decide as what and where I could exist, it would probably end up being as a houseplant on some small island north of Siberia. :eye-poppi
 
Full text:

September 18, 2018

Dear Senator Grassley:

Thank you for reaching out yesterday afternoon. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford looks forward to working with you and the Committee.

As you know, earlier this summer, Dr. Ford sought to tell her story, in confidence, so that lawmakers would have a fuller understanding of Brett Kavanaugh’s character and history. Only after the details of her experience were leaked did Dr. Ford make the reluctant decision to come forward publicly.

In the 36 hours since her name became public, Dr. Ford has received a stunning amount of support from her community and from fellow citizens across our country. At the same time, however, her worst fears have materialized. She has been the target of vicious harassment and even death threats. As a result of these kind of threats, her family was forced to relocate out of their home. Her email has been hacked, and she has been impersonated online.

While Dr. Ford’s life was being turned upside down, you and your staff scheduled a public hearing for her to testify at the same table as Judge Kavanaugh in front of two dozen U.S. Senators on national television to relive this traumatic and harrowing incident. The hearing was scheduled for six short days from today and would include interrogation by Senators who appear to have made up their minds that she is “mistaken” and “mixed up.” While no sexual assault survivor should be subjected to such an ordeal, Dr. Ford wants to cooperate with the Committee and with law enforcement officials.

As the Judiciary Committee has recognized and done before, an FBI investigation of the incident should be the first step in addressing her allegations. A full investigation by law enforcement officials will ensure that the crucial facts and witnesses in this matter are assessed in a non-partisan manner, and that the Committee is fully informed before conducting any hearing or making any decisions.

We would welcome the opportunity to talk with you and Ranking Member Feinstein to discuss reasonable steps as to how Dr. Ford can cooperate while also taking care of her own health and security.

Sincerely,

Debra S. Katz

Lisa J. Banks

Attorneys for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford
Click to expand...

Linky.

I think it all makes sense from her perspective. I don't think a one off public hearing that is only her testimony and his denial is at all what she wants.

Politically, right now the attitude from Republicans is to have the hearing without her, then vote on Wednesday. They'll just decry it as Democrats stalling.
 
Edited by Agatha: 
Please do not discuss your ignore list in-thread. It is always off-topic and will generally breach rule 0 and rule 12.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Back
Top Bottom