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The US Bar Association on Thursday evening called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to suspend the vote of confirmation of Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh's appointment to the Supreme Court, saying that it should not be conducted at its discretion. term before an FBI investigation.
"The basic principles that underline the Senate's constitutional duty to advise and consent on federal judicial candidates require nothing less than a close examination of the FBI's accusations and facts," writes the President of ABA, Robert Carlson, in a letter to President R-Iowa) and Senator Dianne Feinstein (California), the best democrat of the committee.
The letter from the ABA, which should not influence Republicans, said that a Supreme Court appointment "is just too important to rush to a vote. The decision to prosecute without conducting a further investigation would not only have a lasting impact on the reputation of the Senate, but would also negatively affect the great confidence needed for the American people to have the Supreme Court, "wrote Carlson in the letter, obtained by The Washington Post.
[Kavanaugh confirmation: Sen. Joe Donnelly, a red-state Democrat, to oppose Supreme Court nominee]
The ABA, which has 400,000 members, is the largest organization in the legal profession. Kavanaugh and his supporters boasted of his favorable note to the candidate, along with Senator Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) Describing the imprimatur as "the gold standard".
This group was not the only institution cited by Kavanaugh to make such a plea. Yale Law School Dean on Friday called for a more in-depth investigation into the charges before moving to confirmation, an appeal issued less than a day after Kavanaugh highlighted his passing.
"I entered Yale Law School," Kavanaugh said Thursday. "This is the first law school in the country. I had no connection there. I arrived by breaking my line at the university.
On Friday, Heather Gerken, the dean of this law school, echoed the ABA letter in a statement released by the university.
"I am joining with the American Bar Association to request further investigation of the allegations made against Judge Kavanaugh," Gerken said. "Proceeding to the confirmation process without further investigation is not in the interest of the Court or our profession."
Kavanaugh also highlighted his stint at Georgetown Prep School, which prides itself on being the only Jesuit boarding school in the country. In an editorial released Thursday, America magazine, a Jesuit publication, called for the withdrawal of Kavanaugh's candidacy.
"Assessing the credibility of these competing accounts is an issue that people of good will can and do not agree with," the editorial said. "The editors of this magazine have no particular idea of who is telling the truth. . . . But even if the credibility of the allegation has not been established beyond a reasonable doubt and even if further investigation is necessary to determine its validity or the name of Judge Kavanaugh, we recognize that this appointment is not more in the interest of the country.
Meanwhile, Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard Law School researcher, often hailed by President Trump for his criticism of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections, was among those calling for an FBI inquiry into these allegations.
"Maybe we can get closer to the truth, even if it is not certain," wrote Dershowitz in a Fox News opinion piece. "But now there are too many unanswered questions[s] bring Kavanaugh's confirmation "to a vote of the Judiciary Committee as scheduled Friday, much less to a vote of the entire Senate."
He went on to say that it is "possible for one of them to lie deliberately." At this point, there is no way to know for sure, which is why the FBI must talk to the judge's accusers and others.
During the tumultuous Thursday hearing, during which Christine Blasey Ford stated that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her in 1982, Kavanaugh repeatedly referred to her ABA reputation by angrily rejecting Ford's allegations. .
"For 12 years, everyone who has appeared before me on the D.C. circuit has praised my judicial temperament. That's why I have the unanimous and qualified rating of the American Bar Association, "said Kavanaugh.
As part of its review of Kavanaugh's qualifications, the ABA Standing Committee on Federal Judiciary found that Kavanaugh "had an excellent reputation for integrity and was an exceptional person", contributing to its unanimous classification "well qualified". Kavanaugh and Graham jointly discussed the ABA survey at least three times on Thursday.
The committee's Democrats, meanwhile, complained bitterly of the majority's reluctance to carry out an FBI investigation and accused the Republicans of precipitating the confirmation.
Kavanaugh avoided answering when the Democrats asked him if he was going to ask for an FBI inquiry into Ford's allegations himself.
In her opening statement on Thursday, Ford testified that Kavanaugh had plated her on a bed, tried her, and covered her mouth during a summer rally as teenagers. In his case, Kavanaugh was thrown as the victim of a "calculated and orchestrated political coup", fueled by "pent-up anger about President Trump and the 2016 elections."
US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh testifies before a confirmation hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27 (Jim Bourg / Reuters)
An outside prosecutor, Rachel Mitchell of Maricopa County, Arizona, conducted much of the investigation, questioning Kavanaugh about her school habits and ask Ford about the persistent psychological trauma she says that Kavanaugh's actions
Mitchell, a registered Republican, replaced the GOP's male senators on the committee, who did not question Ford. When it was Kavanaugh's turn, the Democrats looked at Kavanaugh's school behavior at Georgetown Prep, just outside Washington, asking how much beer he drank during the holidays and described some mysterious messages.
The committee's Republicans announced Thursday night that the committee would vote on Kavanaugh's appointment on Friday, with a final vote of confirmation expected Tuesday. In calling for the FBI's investigation of Ford's claims before such a vote can take place, Carlson urged the Senate to "remain an institution that will reliably follow the law and not politics."
This report has been updated since it was first published.
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