For Immediate Release
Contact:
Kate Uesugi, kuesugi@americanhumanist.org, 202-238-9088 (ext. 105)
(Washington, DC, August 2, 2021) – The American Humanist Association (AHA), joins the Freedom from Religion Foundation, in calling for a full investigation into Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. If a new investigation finds that Kavanaugh had lied to Congress, the AHA will call for his immediate impeachment, since lying to Congress is an impeachable offense. The allegations concern Kavanagh’s statements to Congress during his confirmation hearings. There are also serious allegations that the FBI failed to fully investigate sexual assault allegations and subsequent corroborating tips during the confirmation process in 2018.
“It is unacceptable that the FBI and the Trump Administration failed to thoroughly investigate Kavanaugh and the many claims made against him,” noted Sunil Panikkath, President of the AHA. “To allow him to continue to serve on the nation’s highest Court, without serious allegations of him having lied to Congress being properly investigated, is a mistake that must be immediately corrected.”
In 2018, when Kavanaugh was nominated for the Court, he was credibly accused of sexual misconduct from multiple women whose stories were corroborated and considered just cause for investigation. Named accusers risked their personal and professional wellbeing by speaking out against Kavanaugh, even receiving death threats from Kavanaugh’s supporters.
Although there were multiple accusations, the FBI’s investigation concluded after speaking with only 10 people, most likely missing key witnesses, according to seven members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. It has also been alleged that although the FBI had received over 4,500 tips regarding Kavanaugh, adequate follow-up action was not taken by investigators.
Kavanaugh was the second of three jurists that former President Donald Trump appointed to the Supreme Court, resulting in a 6-3 conservative majority. Among many cases that were impacted by Trump’s appointees to the court, the outcome of the AHA’s Bladensburg case (American Legion v. American Humanist Association) was arguably a direct result of Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court only a month before the case was accepted for consideration. In the case, the court decided to allow a 40-foot-tall Latin cross to stand at the entrance to the town of Bladensburg, Maryland, even though it blatantly violates the Establishment Clause of the Constitution, as laid out eloquently in Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dissenting opinion in the case. Despite Kavanaugh’s appointment and confirmation being clouded with legitimate objections, the justice now sits in a position with the potential to drive decades of precedent.
Panikkath concluded: “The AHA stands in solidarity with victims of sexual misconduct and believe that their claims should be taken seriously. A proper investigation, regardless of the outcome, is necessary to ensure the integrity of the Supreme Court and the nomination process.”
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The American Humanist Association (AHA) works to protect the rights of humanists, atheists, and other nontheistic Americans. The AHA advances the ethical and life-affirming worldview of humanism, which—without beliefs in gods or other supernatural forces—encourages individuals to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity.