"The women legal assistants of Brett Kavanaugh"

[[[[Ed. Note: This story originally appears in the Guardian and is pasted here with their permission. Click here for the full story.]

One of Yale Law School's top professors, Brett Kavanaugh, told a group of law students that it was "not a coincidence" that Kavanaugh's female lawyers "all look like models." ". and would give him advice on their physical appearance if they wanted to work for him, the Guardian learned.

Amy Chua, a Yale professor who wrote a bestselling book on parenting called Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, was known to teach law students who were preparing to interview Kavanaugh. help them win a position in Kavanaugh's rooms, according to sources.

Kavanaugh faces a close examination in Washington following an allegation by Christine Blasey Ford that he forced her to stay in school while in high school. He denied the allegation. The prosecution prevented Kavanaugh's confirmation in the controversy, drawing parallels to the sexual harassment allegations against Judge Clarence Thomas by Anita Hill in the 1990s.

Yale has provided Kavanaugh with a large number of Judge's employees over the years, and Chua has played an outsized role in controlling the employees who worked for him. But the process has made some students very uncomfortable.

One source stated that in at least one case, a law student had been so discouraged by Chua's advice about how she should look and its implications, that she had decided not to do an internship with Kavanaugh, a powerful member of the judiciary. a formal role in the audit of clerks who served in the US Supreme Court.

In one case, Jed Rubenfeld, also an influential teacher in Yale and married in Chua, told a potential employee that Kavanaugh liked a certain "look".

"He said to me," You should know that Judge Kavanaugh hires women with some air, "said a woman at the Guardian." He did not say what the look was and I did not say Did not ask. "

Sources who told the Guardian about their experience with Chua and Rubenfeld would only speak on condition of anonymity as they feared retaliation and damage to their future careers.

Chua advised the same student to whom Rubenfeld spoke that she should dress in an "extrovert" way for her interview with Kavanaugh, and that the student should send photos of Chua in different outfits. before going to the interview. The student did not send the photos.

There is no allegation that the students who worked for Kavanaugh were chosen because of their physical appearance or were not qualified.

However, remarks by Chua and Rubenfeld raise questions about why the couple thought it was important to focus on the physical aspect of students when discussing jobs with Kavanaugh. The couple was not known to do it with other judges, sources said.

"It is possible that they make observations but do not follow edicts from him," said a student who received such instructions. "I have no reason to believe that he was saying," Send me the pretty ones ", but rather that he reported and said," I really like that and that "and the the manner in which he described them led them to make certain conclusions. "

Kavanaugh is close to Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose retirement from the Supreme Court left an overture, and Kavanaugh was one of three judges who controlled the clerks to serve in Kennedy's chambers. His role as a "nurturing" judge has made his internships the most coveted positions for law students across the country, but especially for his alma mater, Yale.

According to one source, Chua invited a group of students she mentored in a bar last year to update themselves and discuss their internship projects. The conversation focused on a highly publicized #MeToo case that appeared in the news at the time, involving a well-known personality.

The group began to talk about whether the federal judiciary would face a similar review and, according to one source, Chua would then have stated that she did not believe it. She told the students that she had heard about an alleged abusive and harassing behavior of another judge, Alex Kozinski, who was leading the ninth circuit and was forced to withdraw. from the bench last year.

The conversation then turned to Kozinski's beloved friend, Kavanaugh, whose sources were known even though he had not yet been appointed to the high court. Chua reportedly told students that it was "not by chance" that Kavanaugh's employees "looked like models". The student reacted with surprise and quickly indicated that Chua's daughter was to be Kavanaugh's clerk.

One source stated that Chua responded quickly, saying that her own daughter would not tolerate inappropriate behavior.

Chua canceled her classes at Yale this semester and, according to her office, was hospitalized and did not make any calls. Rubenfeld sent an email to a community of Yale Law School who told him that his wife was sick and hospitalized and had a long recovery period before her.

The Guardian has learned that Rubenfeld is currently the subject of an internal investigation at Yale. The investigation focuses on Rubenfeld's conduct, particularly with law students. Students also shared their concerns with the Yale authorities regarding Chua's powerful influence in the internship process. The investigation was opened before Kavanaugh was appointed by Donald Trump to be part of the high court.

Rubenfeld said in a statement to The Guardian: "In June, Yale University informed me that it would conduct an" informal review "of certain allegations, but that to preserve anonymity, I did not have the right to know details. Therefore, I do not know what I am supposed to have said or done. It was also made known that the allegations did not compromise my position as a long-time faculty member.

In recent years, I have faced personal attacks and false allegations in response to my writing on difficult and controversial but important legal topics. I have reason to suspect that I am now facing more of the same thing. I strongly believe that universities must conduct appropriate reviews of any allegations of misconduct, but I am also deeply concerned by escalating challenges to the most basic values ​​of due process and a free and respectful academic exchange in Yale and throughout the country.

Nevertheless, I am ready to participate in this process in the hope that it can be completed quickly.

In a statement, Yale Law School said it could neither confirm nor deny the existence of an internal investigation.

An official from Yale Law School said in an e-mail, "This is the first time we hear that Professor Chua advised students to" look like role models ". We will review these claims promptly, taking into account that Professor Chua is currently inaccessible due to a serious illness. If this is true, these tips are clearly unacceptable.

Chua and her husband are prominent figures at Yale and have been described by a student as the center of gravity of the law school, connecting students to jobs and internships, and rewarding their loyalty.

In 2014, the couple wrote a controversial book called The Triple Package: How Three Improbable Features Explain the Rise and Fall of Cultural Groups in America. He said that a mixture of feeling of superiority, insecurity and insecurity, were two characteristics that led to success. He also stressed the need for "impulse control".

The couple hired a well-known crisis communication expert, but he did not answer the Guardian's specific questions regarding Chua's remarks or the internal investigation.

In an e-mail statement, Chua told The Guardian, "For over 10 years I've known him, Justice Kavanaugh's first and only litigation test in hiring has been excellence. It engages only the most qualified employees and they have been diverse and exceptionally talented and knowledgeable.

"There are good reasons for many of them to attend the Supreme Court courses; he only hires those who are extraordinarily qualified. As I wrote in the Wall Street Journal, he was also an outstanding mentor for his employees and a champion of their career. Among my proudest moments as a parent, it was the day I learned that our daughter would join these ranks.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Guardian was assisted in his report by Elie Mystal, editor of the Above the Law blog. If you have any tips on this story, please contact [email protected]