Shock, and Kavanaugh Advancing to Full Senate

Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the United States Supreme Court has shaken out like none other before it.

Despite the pop culture protests and multiple allegations of sexual assault, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted, along strict partisan lines, to advance the confirmation vote to the full Senate. For those who watched Kavanaugh and Ford's testimony, the differences were both shocking and subtle.

Media Frenzy

The amount of attention Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing has attracted is unprecedented. It almost felt like the whole news media industry just stopped reporting on anything else during the hearings.

And while Kavanaugh and his supporters expressed discontent at the allegations being bandied about, when allegations like these surface, people are going to be fixated on the potential train wreck, and they're going to want to know everything. It's like the O.J. Bronco chase and trial, but O.J. wasn't nearly as compelling to the gossip-thirsty public because O.J. wasn't being held up as the shining beacon of all that is good. Kavanaugh's up for one of the most powerful jobs in the nation.

Kavanaugh's Testimony

While the critics and supporters may look to the content of Kavanaugh's testimony and make up their minds, one particular fact became rather clear during his testimony: He has let his emotions be swept up in the partisan politics surrounding his own confirmation. His testimony displayed a wide range of emotions, from anger to tears; he challenged one Senator inappropriately by answering a question with inappropriate personal question (repeated twice); he almost cried while talking about his daughters; but then the next minute, he almost dropped the f-bomb when emphatically stating the FBI had investigated him several times before.

Compared to the calm and collected Kavanaugh we all saw last week, this week, he was nothing of the sort. Nevertheless, until a new SCOTUS justice is seated, it's probably good to remember that the process has always been highly political, and as of the last presidential election, we should all be ready to expect the unexpected, again, regardless of what you expect.

Related Resources:

• Kavanaugh Confirmation Hearing Timeline and Chaos (FindLaw's U.S. Supreme Court Blog)
• Kavanaugh Faces New Sexual Misconduct Accusations (FindLaw's U.S. Supreme Court Blog)
• Quick Recap of the Kavanaugh Confirmation Circus (FindLaw's U.S. Supreme Court Blog)