In America, the Supreme Court is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It is the most powerful court in the nation and it consists of nine justices. These nine justices usually handle large and controversial cases. Also the rulings they make usually end up setting the precedent for the outcomes of future similar cases. Basically, these justices hold a tremendous amount of power, are highly respected, and are extremely experienced. But what happens when a Supreme Court Justice is accused of sexual assault?
In 2018, Brett Kavanaugh was accused of sexually assaulting Christine Blasey Ford when they were in college. This controversial event got me thinking about two things. The first being, Could Brett Kavanaugh Sue Christine Ford for speaking up and making those allegations against him? In court, he said something along the lines of ‘you have destroyed my family name and my reputation’. I have scoured the internet but I couldn’t find any information that told me if Brett Kavanaugh was ever found guilty. But i’m assuming her wasn’t because he has been sworn in as a justice. Due to our legal system “all are innocent until proven guilty,” could Kavanaugh tSue Ford for slander? And in that case if Kavanaugh’s claims were proven to be true, would that result in Ford never being allowed to talk publicly about her accusations against Kavanaugh. And finally, in this case especially, given how high profile it was, would restricting Ford form pursuing her own justice violate her right to freedom of speech?
Finally I want to know what an event like this means for people with similar cases. For example,, a college girl, have a sexual assault case that makes it to the supreme court, would a guilty verdict really be fair. Whether Kavanaugh actually assaulted Ford or not, past events in his life have made him extremely biased. He will more than likely let that interfere with his rulings and will favor the defendant that is being accused. People bring their cases to the Supreme court after state courts don’t satisfy them. The supreme court is the final rule, and their decision goes much further than the individuals involved. If some justices are tempted to make decisions based on personal situations, are people being denied the right to a free and equal trial?
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