Judges are so powerful in the career arc of clerks. Iâm sure that some of them who had âthe lookâ have a story to tell, if they feel up to it.
I know one shouldnât judge people on hearsayâŚBUTâŚthis guy has always struck me as too slickly âgood.â âI volunteer, I coach girls sports, I love my MomâŚâ Itâs all been too much and he seems smarmyâŚkinda like an adult Eddie Haskell with a little more polish. (Thatâs a âLeave it to Beaverâ reference for you young folk. For you even younger folk âLeave it to Beaverâ was a warm, family comedy from the 50s. And by the wayâŚget off my lawn.)
Jed Rubenfeld is one to talk.
Do you know him?
WaPo has a bit more.
Rubenfeld took care to warn her about two judges in particular: First, Alex Kozinski, then a judge on the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, was known to sexually harass his clerks, he told her. (Kozinski retired in December amid accusations of harassment.) The other was Kavanaugh. Though the judge was known to hire female clerks who had a âcertain look,â Rubenfeld told her, he emphasized that he had heard nothing else untoward. âHe did not say what the âcertain lookâ was. I did not ask,â the woman said. âIt was very clear to me that he was talking about physical appearance, because it was phrased as a warning â and because it came after the warning about Judge Kozinski.â
âWhile she saw the warning about Kozinski as a flashing red signal, the advice on Kavanaugh didnât stop her from deciding to interview with him. Thatâs when Rubenfeldâs wife stepped in. ⌠'She advised me to be and dress âoutgoing,â 'the former Yale student said. âShe strongly urged me to send her pictures of what I was thinking of wearing so she could evaluate. I did not.â ⌠âFor the more than ten years Iâve known him, Judge Kavanaughâs first and only litmus test in hiring has been excellence,â Chua [said] in a response to a request for comment from both professors. ⌠The statement didnât deny the studentâs account .â
oops
Whatâs your point with all these pictures?
"None of the men deny knowing Ford when they were boys. Theyâre just unwilling to describe the circumstances under which they knew her.
Brett Kavanaugh, Mark Judge, and Patrick Smyth went to an all-boys prep school.
They did not meet Christine Blasey Ford in biology class.
They did not hang out with her during free period."
As a too slick âI have always lived by the creed, âMen for others.ââ (Thatâs a quote by Fr. Pedro Arrupe, a Basque medical doctor who, before becoming the Superior General of the Jesuit Order in the early 1960s, was stationed outside of Hiroshima, and attended to many of the victims of radiation in the immediate aftermath of the first atomic bomb, and was anti-Franco in Spain while it was still dangerous, before it became fashionable for pop music types and soap actors to be anti-Franco, and who coined the phrase to urge all Jesuit students to participate in social work types of extra curricular activities in the communities beyond the walls of their schools. And by the way, get off my lawn.)
Sheâs giving the white supremacist signâor thatâs what Iâve read.
Letâs game this out, shall we?
An accusation is all that is necessary for Marylandâs Law Enforcement to open a preliminary investigation. And I think a reasonable person would be completely fine to see where a thorough and dispassionate investigation leads. In that conxtext let us review the current facts-
- Lying to the FBI is a crime.
- Dr. Christine Ford is willing to talk to the FBI.
- Brett Kavanaugh is unwilling to talk to the FBI.
- Kavanaughâs accomplice Mark Judge is unwilling to talk to the FBI.
- Chuck Grassley is unwilling to let the FBI investigate.
- Ford; Kavanaugh; Judge and Grassley all know lying to the FBI is a crime.
Occams Razor would support Ford in this line of reasoning. Q.E.D.
In my dream scenario Dr. Ford shows up on Monday just long enough to inform the republicans that she has filed a criminal complaint in Maryland, and as such can no longer comment on the matter until the CID complete their investigation.
At which point Grassley enjoys the prospect of sending a vote on Kavanaugh to the floor knowing he may potentially be convicted of a felony offense. Ultimately leading to an impeachment in the house and conviction in the Senate.
Here I thought she was flicking a bugger at him.
I love the idea of her filing on him (And I totally think your Occams Razor reasoning cuts to the quick), but hasnât the statute of limitations run out on this???
There is no statute of limitations in Maryland for his kind of crime.
Conservative creds. Of course, she speaks highly of Kavanaugh.
Jennifer Mascott is an Assistant Professor of Law at the Antonin Scalia Law School. Professor Mascott writes in the areas of administrative and constitutional law and the separation of powers.
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Professor Mascott is a former law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
https://www.law.gmu.edu/faculty/directory/fulltime/mascott_jennifer
I like your thinking. But gaming this out from the viewpoint of Republicans, it might be better if she did report it to the Montgomery County Police before the confirmation vote. Then they could ditch Kavanaugh and get someone else before January. If she doesnât, then there is always the possibility that she will report it next year. Kavanaugh could be removed and Democrats could control the senate, blocking any new nominees.