The Kavanaugh confirmation hearings have caused quite the stir. Supreme Court Justice Brett Cavanaugh’s confirmation hearings began on Sept. 4 after it was announced earlier this summer that President Trump would nominate the judge to the Supreme Court. During the hearing, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford came forward to accuse the judge of sexually assaulting her when they were in high school in 1982.

Two other women stepped forward following Blasey Ford accusing Kavanaugh for sexual assaulting them. Deborah Ramirez accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault in 1983, and Julie Swetnick alleged that she witnessed Kavanaugh assisting in disorienting other young women and being present at the time of Swetnick’s own assault. A third woman wrote in a letter to Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado dated Sept. 22 that her daughter had seen a drunk Kavanaugh “very aggressively and sexually” treat a friend of hers, who he was dating.

The U.S. Senate made the decision to invite Blasey Ford to testify against Kavanaugh, which she accepted. Kavanaugh was also called to speak about the allegations in front of the committee. The event was highly publicized and gained a lot of attention on social media.

The hearing was held on Sept. 27 and concluded with a request for a week-long FBI investigation into Blasey Ford’s accusation against the Supreme Court nominee. After the investigation concluded, the Senate finally came to a decision.

The Senate voted to confirm Kavanaugh on Oct. 6 with a vote of 50-48, the closest vote ever to determine a Supreme Court justice. The confirmation has caused division in the country on the state of the supreme court. So where do Iona students stand?

“I joined with millions and watched the Judge Kavanaugh hearings in September. The appointment of Brett Kavanaugh excited me at first. To speak candidly, I have not found myself particularly thrilled with any of the appointments made by President Trump. The moment that Dr. Ford began to testify in regard to her experience with Judge Kavanaugh, dating back to when the two were in high school, I admired her strength and courage to come forward. I began to think back to when my parents told me about when Anita Hill testifying back in 1991. I want the country to move to a place in which one’s testimony under oath is enough to delay a process. It made me sad to see the matter become incredibly political. I was saddened to see the hearing turn from a case of morality and what is right and what is wrong to the pushing of a political appointment. Lastly, I was sad to see President Trump to say “we won” in regard to the political appointment of Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. This is not about winning or losing, this is about what is right and wrong.” – Malik Henry, Senior

“I was in the library with three of my friends in the afternoon and we were watching CSPAN to see if Kavanaugh was actually going to be [confirmed]. None of us wanted him to be a Supreme Court justice, we all have really strong feelings. Even besides the sexual assault allegations, just in general we didn’t think he was a good fit. So we were watching it and he got confirmed and it was so weird because the whole vibe [in the room] shifted because everyone was upset. I’m a very emotional person so I was kind of teary-eyed. It’s just insane how something like this is just going to impact our lives for another 30 years until [Kavanaugh] either resigns, retires or dies. I did not want him to be a Supreme Court justice. I wish he wasn’t, but it is what it is now. It was upsetting, but it empowered all of us to be like ‘we’ve got to go and register to vote.’ We’ve got to start electing people that reflect our views and will not put people like him in places of power.” – Mackenzie Byrne, Freshman

“I’m glad I was able to watch the Kavanaugh and Ford hearings. I always try to stay up to date with what’s happening in our Supreme Court. I believe it’s important for everyone to be able to be active, no matter what your political views are.” – Gabriella Federowicz, Senior