Major Jesuit Magazine Rescinds Endorsement of Brett Kavanaugh - a Jesuit School Graduate - After Fiery Testimony
America Magazine, a major Catholic Jesuit outlet, rescinded its endorsement of Judge Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court Thursday night after a day of testimony from both the nominee and Christine Blasey Ford, who accuses him of sexual assault.
Kavanaugh went to Georgetown Preparatory School, a Jesuit institution. But that wasn't the only reason the magazine has to be favorable to him.
"[We] previously endorsed the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh on the basis of his legal credentials and his reputation as a committed textualist," it said.
After the hearing, the magazine decided his name should be withdrawn, noting: "We continue to support the nomination of judges according to such principles—but Judge Kavanaugh is not the only such nominee available."
In the editorial, it didn't say that it's beyond a doubt that Kavanaugh committed the assault Ford alleges.
"Blasey's accusations have neither been fully investigated nor been proven to a legal standard, but neither have they been conclusively disproved or shown to be less than credible," it argued. "Judge Kavanaugh continues to enjoy a legal presumption of innocence, but the standard for a nominee to the Supreme Court is far higher; there is no presumption of confirmability. The best of the bad resolutions available in this dilemma is for Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination to be withdrawn."
It said that the nomination itself has become a referendum on #MeToo — and that confirming Kavanaugh would send the wrong message.
"For the good of the country and the future credibility of the Supreme Court in a world that is finally learning to take reports of harassment, assault and abuse seriously, it is time to find a nominee whose confirmation will not repudiate that lesson," it concluded.
