Oct. 6 was a sad day for America. On Oct. 6, members of the U.S. Senate voted 50 to 48 — almost entirely along party lines — to confirm Brett Kavanaugh as a U.S. Supreme Court justice.
In a statement, Asian Americans Advancing Justice called the confirmation “an affront to the impartial judicial system that protects the civil and human rights of individuals as well as our belief that everyone has a right to live free from violence.”
According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, over 23 percent of Asian and Pacific Islander women living in the United States have experienced some form of sexual violence. These women will be even further marginalized by a Supreme Court with now two members who have been publicly and credibly accused of sexual misconduct.
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) said in a statement that she fears the confirmation will have a chilling effect on survivors of sexual assault coming forward.
“We all witnessed Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s powerful testimony, yet by confirming Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, Senate Republicans are sending a message to women, girls, and sexual assault survivors everywhere that their experiences and stories, while believable, don’t matter and are easily ignored.”
Hirono also tweeted, “I’m left with anger and determination, just like millions of people across the country.”
Since Donald Trump took office, our rights have been eroded by attacks on health care access, immigrants’ rights, and the environment. Additionally, this current court will be deciding cases involving women’s rights, affirmative action, the death penalty, LGBTQ rights, immigrant rights, and a host of others that will have a significant impact communities of color.
The U.S. Supreme Court is supposed to be the champion of the Constitution and the final arbiter of the law. Unfortunately, a justice such as Kavanaugh will only make it harder for our communities to protect our rights.
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