Summerlin 1

Chelsey Summerlin

Professor Scott

English Comp I

9 October 2018

Kavanaugh: Morals or Experience?

Sexual Assaults are becoming something that we are hearing about more and more in the

media. The latest allegation is one that is taking America by storm, that is the Kavanaugh case.

The writer, William Roberts, for the website Aljazeera, gives us a timeline as well as a unique

insight as to what the outcomes of this case will do for the government. Whether you have been

keeping up with or just now hearing of this case, it’s one that is definitely showing of how our

government works an brings up the question, do we trust our morals of what’s right and wrong or

do we let experience triumph over all of that?

Brett Kavanaugh, a trusted friend of President Trump, was on the road to replace Justice

Anthony Kennedy until a phone call to a congressional representative from a women named

Christine Blasey Ford had reports that a young Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they

were teens. Christine kept her identity a secret when she called and even when she told the

Washington Post vital information she kept her name hidden (Roberts). A group of congress

women urged Christine to write a letter to Diane Feinstein, a senior Democrat of the Senate

Judiciary Committee, and on the 30th of July a letter written by Ford was sent to Feinstein. Once

parts of the letter, accusing Brett of the assault, were in the hands of the media Kavanaugh said

the following “I did not do this back in high school or at any time” (Roberts).
 Summerlin 2

Kavanaugh and Ford, both willingly, agreed to appear before the Judiciary Panel to

testify Ford’s assault allegations. This led to more women coming to Ford’s aide and admitting

that Kavanaugh had done this more than once, Julie Swetnick, one of the newly risen accusers,

had this to say about Kavanaugh “he engaged is highly inappropriate conduct, including being

overly aggressive with girls” (Roberts). A few days later nearly 20 million viewers watched as

Kavanaugh and Ford went to trial against one another. After a week or so the Senate voted in

favor of Kavanaugh, giving him his nomination back for further vote.

The Kavanaugh Case is something that isn’t unusual in today’s society, women and men

everywhere are finally finding the nerve to speak up against the people who took something so

precious from them, their feeling of independence. In my opinion this case is just another

example of why people are afraid to speak up about thier sexaul assault, it shows that you can be

brave and face your worst nightmare head on and still not get the justice you deserve. Christine

Blasey Ford said after the trial had ended “Apart from the assault itself, these last couple of

weeks have been the hardest of my life. I have had to relive my trauma in front of the entire

world, and have seen my life picked apart by people on television, in the media, and in this body

who have never met me or spoken with me” (CNN).

Overall the media has shown us just how powerful and impactful our voices can be in

cases like this one, or to violent cases in general. But it has also showed us that the victims of

such tragic events will not always get what they need or deserve, the Kavanaugh case brings to

light the injustice that our society has in it. This case has had a lot of people feeling happy, mad

or even indifferent about the outcome but a takeaway from this is that the society in the United

States needs to ask themselves, what is more important morals or experience?

 Summerlin 3

Works Cited

CNN. “READ: Christine Blasey Ford's Prepared Testimony.” ​CNN​, Cable News

Network, 27 Sept. 2018, www.cnn.com/2018/09/26/politics/ford-testimony/index.html.

Roberts, William. “Kavanaugh Controversy: How We Got Here and What Happens

Next.” ​GCC News | Al Jazeera​, Al Jazeera, 6 Oct. 2018,

www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/kavanaugh-controversy-181003205659506.html.