Judge Nominated to United States' Supreme Court Accused of Sexual Misconduct as a Teen

U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Brett Kavanaugh has been accused of sexual misconduct. The complaint came from a woman who accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct when they were both in high school, more than thirty years ago.

The allegation dates back to the time when Kavanaugh was a high-school student at Georgetown Preparatory School, in Bethesda, Maryland, and the woman attended a nearby high school. She was 15 years old while Kavanaugh 17 years old. In the letter, the woman alleged that, during an encounter at a party, Kavanaugh held her down, and then he attempted to force himself on her. She claimed in the letter that Kavanaugh and a classmate of his, both of whom had been drinking, turned up music that was playing in the room to conceal the sound of her protests, and that Kavanaugh covered her mouth with his hand.

While Kavanaugh held his hand over her mouth, at one point she said she felt her life was inadvertently in danger. She said she was able to leave the room and go into a hallway bathroom. After Kavanaugh and the other male began talking to others in the house, she went home.

There is no indication the woman reported the incident to law enforcement at the time, but she said she has received medical treatment regarding the alleged assault.

In a statement on Friday, Kavanaugh denied the allegation. "I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time," he said.

The woman in the complaint is Christine Blasey Ford, a professor of psychology at Palo Alto University who revealed her identity to the Washington Post.

Brett Kavanaugh is backed by the Republican Party and they have the numbers to confirm him as a judge of the U.S. Supreme Court. The only thing that matters when it comes to Kavanaugh's fate is whether there are at least two Republicans in the Senate willing to side with Democrats and block the judge's confirmation.

The episode has sent tensions between both the Republican and Democratic parties back to the boiling point. There is already an ill feeling after Democrats complained that Republicans are rushing Kavanaugh through without proper scrutiny by withholding tens of thousands of documents related to his career.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 17, 2018 07:39 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).