The day after President Donald Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, current and former students of his alma mater, Yale Law, had a few things to say.
By now, we expect anything the president does to be met with overreactions, generalizations, and full-blown hysteria. The dial is always turned up to 11. The Resistance has no other volume.
The open letter from students, alumni, and even faculty was in no way a measured response. It is impossible for these people to just disagree with the person or policies before them. No. Instead, they must insist doom is to befall us. Furthermore, they simply cannot abide that someone who was educated in and by their esteemed establishment, among the privileged few, may hold firm to a different worldview.
Take a look at a few passages…
Within an hour of Donald Trump’s announcement that he would nominate Brett Kavanaugh, YLS ‘90, to the Supreme Court, the law school published a press release boasting of its alumnus’s accomplishment.
Yet the press release’s focus on the nominee’s professionalism, pedigree, and service to Yale Law School obscures the true stakes of his nomination and raises a disturbing question: Is there nothing more important to Yale Law School than its proximity to power and prestige?
That does raise a disturbing question, but not in the way these protesters think.
I have no problem with someone attending an Ivy League school and excelling in that arena. But we, the underprivileged majority, are routinely told by the very ones who penned this letter that their power and prestige make them better individuals. That their attendance at such a revered institution instantly means they can better contribute to society. Their question shows an utter lack of self-awareness.
It’s clear to anyone who reviews Judge Kavanaugh’s history that he is an intelligent and accomplished man. It is not necessary to agree with a single written decision before coming to that conclusion. Clearly, some connected to Yale Law are incapable of this basic function.
And then, it doesn’t take long for the letter to get to the heart of the matter. The real, deep concerns with Kavanaugh’s nomination have to do with abortion and contraception. This isn’t the least bit surprising.
Since his campaign launched, Trump has repeatedly promised to appoint justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade. Overturning that decision would endanger the lives of countless people who need or may need abortions — including many who sign this letter.
Just a few months ago, Judge Kavanaugh ruled to deny a detained immigrant minor her constitutional right to abortion
The judge employed similar spurious reasoning in a 2015 dissent arguing that the ACA’s contraceptive mandate violated the rights of religious organizations, even though those organizations were granted an accommodation that allowed them to opt out of providing contraceptive coverage. Kavanaugh’s opinions give us grave concern that he will consistently prioritize the beliefs of third-parties over the rights of the oppressed…
Rights of the…oppressed? As an American female of reproductive age, I hereby state that birth control is not my right. But that makes no difference to them. They insist the state must pay for a woman’s uterus by subsidizing hormonal birth control or covering the cost of “care” at Planned Parenthood. And apparently, for all of their education and intellectual prowess, they ignore a two-fold fact. Firstly, birth control is never going away. Ever. Too many partake and too many produce it. These drugs are a major part of the pharmaceutical industry. Secondly, you are more than welcome to open up your Michael Kors handbag from the Fall 2018 collection, which you purchased for $325.00, and buy some of your own contraception. Why should anyone else cover this cost? I bet you can do it, sweetheart.
The last paragraph is my favorite. It’s so deliciously frantic and extreme. Emphasis mine.
Now is the time for moral courage — which for Yale Law School comes at so little cost. Perhaps you, as an institution and as individuals, will benefit less from Judge Kavanaugh’s ascendent power if you withhold your support. Perhaps Judge Kavanaugh will be less likely to hire your favorite students. But people will die if he is confirmed. We hope you agree your sacrifice would be worth it. Please use your authority and platform to expose the stakes of this moment and the threat that Judge Kavanaugh poses.
“But people will die if he is confirmed.”
Death, thy name is “white guy who coached your daughter’s basketball team.” In other words, utter destruction is named Brett Kavanaugh. I always thought the grim reaper’s first name wouldn’t be so vanilla. Weird.
Thankfully, another letter came out on Thursday – in support of Judge Kavanaugh – by Yale Law students, alumni, and faculty. You can read it in full here. Essentially, it focuses on the judge’s qualifications and accomplishments and states that politics have harmed things as a whole, and especially damaged the Supreme Court nomination process.
In our deeply polarized climate, these respectful, civil, and entirely accurate comments are a breath of fresh air.
Judge Kavanaugh is a distinguished jurist qualified for the highest public service. He should be given the fair, principled, and swift consideration he deserves.
Now that wasn’t so hard.
The condemnation from individuals associated with Yale Law wasn’t the first, and won’t be the last, of its kind. Since Trump’s nomination, his choice has been ridiculed for legal decisions and mocked for personal ones.
The extreme bias and outright lies coming from a group of people who routinely act as arbiters of all that is good, true, holy, and intelligent is something to behold. But we knew it was coming.
I’m just glad they were able to get it all out before the end comes.
Kimberly Ross is a senior contributor at RedState and a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
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