There are not many who have not witnessed in some way what went on at the confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh. Perhaps you caught snippets of the Senate hearing, perhaps you saw it on the news, or perhaps you were a witness to history as a man who supposedly led an exemplary life was tried and convicted, not by any evidence, but by the testimony of one person. This was a trial that was not a trail, for in this country we have always believed in and followed the rule of law, the one that states innocent until proven guilty. Proven is the key word in all court proceedings from the lowest level civil courts to the highest court in the land. There must be proof always.
So why was it that in this case there was no proof? Some would say this was not a trial and yet we saw paraded out for all, accusations that were unproven and supposed witnesses who did not witness anything. In itself it was a mockery of justice. It was one thing alone and that was a political ploy. It was trying to keep a well qualified person from a position that some didn’t want him to have. It was innuendo followed by more innuendo and a political strategy that was abhorrent. It was being lied to even as the accuser had been lied to by a panel of lawyers and being paraded out in front of America as an accuser who had no proof. She was a pawn in this game, a game that placed her in the middle of one of the hugest controversies ever.
While Justice Kavanaugh was confirmed, it was at a great price paid and the burning question that brings us forward in the future is, how can we attract people of high standards, of great intellect, of fair and impartial bearing if this is the way nominees will be treated? That is the fear going forward for what man or woman would subject themselves, their families, and their friends to this miscarriage of justice?
The rules of civility seemed to have been forgotten, the rule of law seems to have been waylaid, and the fact that one can be tried and convicted in the court of social media , television, and the internet without one shred of evidence is both appalling and frightening.
Thank you to Molly Hemingway and Carrie Severino for writing this book. These ladies were able to present facts and did so in a way that was straightforward and informative. As I write this review, Justice Ginsberg has once again taken ill. If she should step down, one has to wonder what will happen to any nominee that is chosen. Will he/she go through the same hell or will it become an even worse one?
yaya_reads (Marialyce) 