Opinion: Kavanaugh is not fit to be a justice

After several grueling weeks of senate hearings, accusations, testimonies, and a judiciary committee divided, the fate of the Supreme Court continues to be unclear. Throughout the hearings, there has been one word that has been repeatedly brought up when analyzing Judge Kavanaugh’s testimony. Temperament.

As a Justice of the highest court in the nation, the powerhouse of the judicial branch, all nine seated Justices are expected to be impartial, unruffled, judges who will uphold Constitutional Law for the United States.

The temperament exercised by this nominee is not one of an independent Justice, but rather that of a disturbed man with clear partisan viewpoints.

Throughout the hearings, including his testimony concerning the alleged sexual assault of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, Judge Kavanaugh’s temperamental and volatile behavior was on display.  

Judge Kavanaugh’s persistent interruptions about beer, and pressing senators on their drinking habits, is far from the demeanor of a professional Justice. “Do you like beer, senator, or not? What do you like to drink?”

In his opening statement, Kavanaugh, intoned with rage, described Dr. Ford’s allegations as a “calculated and orchestrated political hit, fueled with apparent pent-up anger about President Trump and the 2016 election, fear that has been unfairly stoked about my judicial record, revenge on behalf of the Clintons, and millions of dollars in money from outside left-wing opposition groups.”

The Clintons? Left-wing opposition groups? Aside from the onslaught of sexual assault allegations, these unconfirmed partisan conspiracy theories alone should be enough to raise a red flag. While it is normal for Justices to favor the decisions of the party they were appointed by, it is worrisome that this Justice will be going into the Supreme Court after demonstrating a clear opposition to Democrats.

While the hearing process as a whole has been often compared to the likes of a job interview, if this had been a different job, most interviewers would have moved on from an applicant who has exhibited similar behavior to that of Judge Kavanaugh. So why did the Senate Judiciary Committee vote to move his confirmation forward? Is this rush to appoint a conservative judge by Republicans worth the outcome?

While many in favor of Judge Kavanaugh’s appointment will dismiss the nominees temperament as distress from the accusations brought up against him, clearly this temperament is unnecessary.

If we look back on Supreme court hearings in the past, there has never been a time when a nominee has acted with the temperament Judge Kavanaugh displayed, even for those who were also defending themselves against allegations.

Following the week-long FBI investigation into Judge Kavanaugh’s history, the Senate will vote this week to determine the fate of his future. Even if it were to be revealed that the alleged sexual assaults did not take place, senators should still think carefully about their vote. Let’s not forget, an appointment to the Supreme Court lasts a lifetime.  Decisions made by the appointee will impact an entire generation.

As a nation, in a time of political and social upheaval, it is far from appropriate to appoint a man to a position of such power who has yet to prove his ability for it.