Nearly 200 protestors arrested as Kavanaugh is confirmed by the Senate
Hundreds of people were arrested Saturday in protests against the confirmation of embattled judge Brett Kavanaugh’s bid to become a member of the Supreme Court, according to CBS News. In Washington, DC alone, police reported arresting at least 164 people, including 150 demonstrators on the steps of the Capitol building. Protestors were heard shouting “I do not consent!” during the Senate’s vote on Kavanaugh, referring to the accusations of sexual assault against the judge by multiple women.
Protesters were held on charges of crowding, obstructing, or incommoding. In addition to D.C., protests occurred across the country in Atlanta, Cleveland, Oakland, and New York City. Speaking to CBS, protestor Jenny Robinson-Hartley explained, “It’s not just crazy paid protesters or whatever myth the right is trying to perpetuate about these protests — it’s genuine American families scared for their kids’ future.”
Protests continued even after Kavanaugh’s narrow confirmation vote by the Senate, barely securing the 50 votes almost entirely along party lines needed to confirm him as the newest conservative Supreme Court justice. Many are fearful of a return to dangerous back-alley abortions if Roe v Wade is overturned by the now even more conservative Supreme Court.
Before this vote, Kavanaugh had been subject to an FBI investigation which many have scrutinized because FBI Director Christopher Wray agreed to Trump ordered limits on the investigation. The FBI did not interview either Kavanaugh or Christine Blasey Ford, who first broke open the now national conversation about Kavanaugh’s sexually violent history with her allegations of sexual assault.