Kavanaugh an advocate for women

Judge Brett Kavanaugh does have a history of women and women’s right s— but it is one that should lead to women’s support, not opposition. As a father of two daughters, he advocates for
women seriously. Kavanaugh has hired more women as law clerks than men. Eighty-four percent of those women have gone on to clerk at the Supreme Court. And he is the only D.C. Circuit
judge to have ever hired four women in the same year for a clerkship.
Judge Kavanaugh does not hire based on an individual’s ideologically, Kavanaugh hires women in record number regardless of their points of view. His former female law clerks, coming from
diverse ideologies all support Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination partly because of his advocacy for women.
The statements made by women’s rights organizations relating to Judge Kavanaugh putting the rights of women to make their own decisions about health care, abortion, and workplace protections at risk are based on a misguided view of the Supreme Court. The role of the Supreme Court is to uphold our countries laws and the Constitution, not to enforce the policy
preferences of any group. That is what democracy is for.

Ashley Furin,
Lisbon Falls

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Kavanaugh a threat to workers’ rights

I hope Susan Collins votes against the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh for the U.S. Supreme Court.
While issues such as abortion, gun rights, and immigration are very important, my biggest concerns are with Brett Kavanaugh’s legal opinions that are against workers’ rights. Although I’m a Democrat, I think partisan labels are just words at this point and don’t really describe anything anymore. I can respect that we sometimes have differences and also understand there needs to be some kind of balance in life. I believe that this vote will be a very important one because it will affect all Americans for a long time.
I’m not a lawyer or highly educated person so I can’t speak of the nuances of law, but I do know that we, as a nation, have become a country very different from what we were just a hundred years ago. We made a lot of progress with suffrage, child labor laws, and human rights for people of color or of different religious backgrounds. We have come so far away from those days and, though sometimes slowly, have moved forward. We need to continue to move in a positive direction.
While I do appreciate his intelligence, I fear that Mr. Kavanaugh’s attainment of a Supreme Court seat will result in rulings that will take us backwards on many issues.

Joseph Mailey
Auburn

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What will it take, Sen. Collins?

Senator Collins has said that if she believes the sexual assault allegations of Dr. Ford over the denials of Brett Kavanaugh she will vote against Kavanaugh. The Republicans appear to be doing what they can to muddy the waters sufficiently to let Senator Collins off the hook even if the allegations are true.

There is potentially a third party witness to the alleged assault who could bring some clarity. Dr. Ford has claimed that Mark Judge, a friend of Kavanaugh’s, was present.

Chuck Grassley, the Republican Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, has refused to call Judge as a witness on the basis that Judge has sent a letter to the committee saying he has “no memory” of the incident and that he never saw Kavanaugh “act in the manner Dr. Ford describes”. Other Republican Senators are saying there is “no reason” to call Judge to testify because they know what he will say.

What an extraordinary set of double standards we have on display from these powerful old men. If Mark Judge’s letter is adequate to accept on its face value, why isn’t the same standard being applied to Dr. Ford?

Grassley’s refusal to subpoena Mark Judge allows Judge to influence opinion against Dr. Ford without cross-examination under oath. The Republicans are ensuring an artificial ‘he said/she said’ committee stand-off. Meantime, Republicans from the President on down are attempting to discredit Dr. Ford. They are using the same playbook as they did with Anita Hill 27 years ago, which included refusing to allow three witnesses to testify.

Our own Republican Senator, Susan Collins, says she is “appalled” at President Trump’s recent verbal assault on Dr. Ford. We have heard these kinds of pronouncements before. The key question we should be asking is: “How outrageous must this process become before you will dig deep enough within yourself to find the courage to confront your colleagues and insist on a fair, open and honest confirmation process, and in particular one that does not demean women?”

Nigel Calder
Newcastle

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