Lady Justice refuses to turn a blind eye to Justice Kavanaugh after yet another sexual assault allegation

Tagwa Shammet, Opinions Editor

Like clockwork, another sexual assault allegation has been brought against a government official. This allegation comes against the star of a different allegation from roughly a year ago, Brett Kavanaugh. That’s right, Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh is front and center before another sexual assault allegation.

On Sept. 14, the New York Times detailed the reported allegations. According to the Times, Deborah Ramirez brought her allegation against Kavanaugh in 2018, the same time that Christine Blasey Ford sent forward her own accusations against him. Both allegations were reported to the FBI during Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing. However, Ramirez’s story was put on the backburner as Ford went up against Kavanaugh. 

On Sept. 27 last year, Ford was brought in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee that was confirming Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court Justice. Ford spoke with elegance and articulation as she described one of the worst nights of her life. She testified that she remembers Kavanaugh and his friend shoving her into a room. In the room, the two men locked the door, then Kavanaugh climbed on top of her, groping her and covering her mouth to keep her from screaming. 

Ford said the most unforgettable part of the whole night was Kavanaugh’s laughter. 

“I was underneath one of them while the two laughed, two friends having a really good time with one another,” she said. 

I’m still baffled at the blatant disregard of Ford’s struggle. Imagine sitting in that Judiciary Committee, hearing this poor woman choked up — barely able to speak — describing the night two men stripped the sense of safety from her unconsenting hands. Kavanaugh is a disgrace to the United States Supreme Court.

So now here we are, a year later, thinking the worst is behind us. Then comes Ramirez. It’s quite comical to me. I’m sure Kavanaugh thought he was homefree that fateful day he was confirmed. Justice Kavanaugh, he thought. Well, since it’s so obvious that Kavanaugh isn’t aware of karma, let me be the first to gleefully say: What goes around, comes around. I’m utterly and genuinely confused as to what Kavanaugh expected. Was he seriously planning on getting away with assaulting two different women, on two different occasions? I’ll come back to this later.

“I was underneath one of them while the two laughed, two friends having a really good time with one another.” — Christine Blasey Ford

Ramirez was top of her high school class in Connecticut. Making her family proud, she went on to further her education at Yale. Kavanaugh was just another stereotypical white boy who got through life with his privilege and daddy’s connections. Ramirez was intelligent, diligent and hardworking. Kavanaugh was a trust fund brat. On an unfortunate winter night her freshman year, Ramirez was subjected to his disgusting behavior. She says he pulled his pants down, revealing his genitals, which he then thrust at Ramirez. 

Let’s dissect this real quick. What exactly would prompt someone to do this? That is beyond uncomfortable for all parties involved, including Kavanaugh. There is no justification for this behavior. I don’t care if he was drunk. Matter of fact, stop giving these repulsive men an excuse. It’s 2019. Being drunk isn’t an excuse to sexually assault and rape women. I’ve had plenty of male friends who’ve gotten a bit too intoxicated. None of them have ever sexually assaulted another person. To me, drunk actions are sober thoughts. If you can harm and assault someone when you’re drunk, I genuinely believe you’re capable of doing it sober.

Here is Ramirez: a courageous woman who shared her story with the world and was brave enough to share this sickening night in her life. Not only did she bring forward her allegations, she also backed them up with 25 witnesses who were willing to testify. So, you can understand my confusion when I found out the FBI completely ignored Ramirez’s accusations. Yet again, the Justice Department has managed to consistently silence and disregard a civilian. 

How on Earth can the FBI get away with not investigating an accusation that has 25 witnesses willing and able to corroborate Ramirez’s story? I’ll tell you how: the Republicans. As the majority in the Judiciary Committee, they placed strict guidelines on the investigation of Kavanaugh. Obviously, they had the most to gain from Kavanaugh’s confirmation. The Republicans needed a win. I mean, after the disappointment that is their president, they needed some form of unity. 

“This whole two-week effort has been a calculated and orchestrated political hit fueled with apparent pent up anger about President Trump and the 2016 election,” Kavanaugh said during his Sept. 27 confirmation hearing.

What is with these Republican men playing the victim? We saw it with Trump and the “witch hunt” that was the Russia investigation. Now, here stands Kavanaugh, deploying the same tactics as his president. It comes as no surprise that Trump fully stands behind him, tweeting that the justice should sue for libel and calling Ramirez’s accusation a false one meant to sway his judicial opinions.

Brett Kavanaugh should start suing people for libel, or the Justice Department should come to his rescue. The lies being told about him are unbelievable. False Accusations without recrimination. When does it stop? They are trying to influence his opinions. Can’t let that happen!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2019

No offense, Mr. President, but most of us aren’t really in the habit of blackmailing to get what we want. It’s quite disgraceful and shocking frankly that Ramirez is being villainized, same way Dr. Ford was during her testimony. I shouldn’t have to say this anymore, but I will: Stop victim blaming. The audacity of some people to villainize victims of sexual assault is far beyond my grasp. Ninety percent of sexual assaults go unreported. Survivors are terrified to come forward for a multitude of reasons, including victim blaming and allegations that they are lying. Only 2% of sexual assault cases are actually false accusations. Stop subjecting these strong survivors to a life of shame and fear because you can’t seem to raise your boys correctly. 

Ford says Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her. Ramirez says Kavanaugh assaulted her. A Supreme Court Justice is being accused of violating two different women on two different occasions. How many other women might not have come forward? For now, he gets away with it because this country prides itself on fairness and justice; he is innocent until proven guilty. I, and the rest of this nation, will be putting my faith in the United States government. I’m hoping it won’t disappoint Ramirez and the thousands of other sexual assault survivors putting their stories in the hands of this government. We will not allow a man who sits on the most powerful bench in the world to get away with lying and assaulting our own civilians. Politicians and other powerful figures aren’t above the law; it’s called the rule of law. For all assailants of sexual assault, hear me now: Your time is up. If Kavanaugh is tried and found guilty, his time will also be up. These survivors deserve justice, they deserve to be heard and respected. It’s up to us to help make our culture one that believes sexual assault survivors, not blames them.