by Kayla Reid

It’s safe to say that no two cases are precisely the same; however, similarities can usually be found if examined close enough.  Despite the sexual misconduct allegations against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, he was recently confirmed to the Supreme Court with a vote of 50-48. This confirmation has been what CBS NEWS calls “bitterly partisan” and has “largely divided party lines.”  Dr. Christine Blasely Ford, publicly came forward in a Washington Post story and accused Kavanaugh of forcing himself on her while the two were at a party in high school. She says he pinned her down on a bed, attempted to remove her clothing, and covered her mouth when she tried to scream. Kavanaugh has unequivocally denied the allegations. Deborah Ramirez was a classmate of Kavanaugh’s at Yale. She told the New Yorker’s Ronan Farrow and Jane Mayer that she was attending a dorm room party as a freshman when Kavanaugh “exposed himself … thrust his penis in her face, and caused her to touch it without her consent as she pushed him away.”

“Yet again, a man with the privileges of being white, male, rich and highly educated, was given the benefit of the doubt,” says Kristen Jordan Shamus of the  Detroit Free Press. In response to the confirmation, protesters have disrupted Senate Judiciary Committee hearings,blocked the streets around the Capitol, and stood in solidarity on the steps of the Supreme Court— even calling for a national day of action today. There have even been  some reported violent crimes. Reporter Adam Sabes covered a recent pro-Kavanaugh demonstration held by The Young Conservatives of Texas at UT Austin (YCT) and it was reported that  counter-protesters of this demonstration aggressively tried to stop the event, yelling “this is a fuck you to survivors.” This level of controversy does not come as much of a surprise given the timing of  Kavanaugh’s confirmation – in the height of the recent  “MeToo” movement. So many supporters of the movement feel let down and are disheartened by the decision. Many are wondering why these allegations are being swept under the rug when the FBI themselves have been accused of  a less than thorough investigation. Some would even go as far as to say that the  Supreme Court Justice does not really want the truth to surface. Republicans declared that the FBI had not found any corroborating witnesses, while Democrats complained the FBI didn’t look hard or long enough” says CBS NEWS. The Republican party seems to have completely ignored Ms. Christine Blasey Ford, and Ms. Deborah Ramirez. “Both  Ford and Ramirez requested FBI investigations” says Li Zhou, but despite these allegations, Judge Brett Kavanaugh was still confirmed to the Supreme Court.

Unfortunately, this comes as no surprise. This country has a pattern of electing officials into power that have been accused of sexual misconduct. A growing list of powerful and influential men (public officials, celebrities, public figures, etc.) have faced or are facing serious consequences for sexual misconduct allegations, but the most powerful one of all, the leader of the “free world”, has faced none. President Donald Trump has racked up more than a dozen accusations of sexual assault. He has provided no worthy explanations or properly addressed the situation, but instead, Trump ‘s official position, as his spokeswoman Sarah Sanders recently clarified in a White House press briefing, is that “the 20 women accusing him of assault and harassment are lying.”  One accuser, Jessica Leeds, describes, “He was like an octopus … His hands were everywhere.” “He pushed me up against the wall, and had his hands all over me and tried to get up my dress again”, another accuser, Jill Harth, explains. “[Trump] stuck his head right underneath their skirts”, Lisa Boyne recalls. “Then his hand touched the right side of my breast. I was in shock,” Karena Virginia explains. “He probably doesn’t want me telling the story about that time he continually grabbed my ass and invited me to his hotel room,” Cassandra Searles. All these accounts have been totally ignored – overlooked by this country. While disgusting, this is also is not surprising.

President Trump’s supporters, and those that voted in favor of Justice Brett Kavanaugh are clearly willing to overlook sexual misconduct allegations. “Fifty-six percent of Republicans said they would consider voting for a candidate who had been accused by multiple people of sexual misconduct; only 34 percent said they would not. In contrast, 81 percent of Democrats said they would not vote for such a candidate, and only 16 percent said they’d consider it,” says Zack Beauchamp. It would so it seems, the problem is not only with candidates, but also with voters. Yes, it is very possible these allegations only surfaced because these men were in line to rise to great power. Rightly so. Candidates should be prepared for all their “dirty laundry” to be aired. Voters have a examine and evaluate all the information they’ve been provided, to determine the best public representation.  Sexual misconduct/assault is serious, but only as serious as voters make it. These type of allegations should be seriously taken into consideration when determining our nation’s leaders.

Judge, Kavanaugh’s classmate, who Ford has also implicated in the high school incident, discredits Ford’s allegations and says “no recollection of it. Brett Kavanaugh and I were friends in high school but I do not recall the party described in Dr. Ford’s letter. More to the point, I never saw Brett act in the manner that Dr. Ford describes.” It is possible that Ms. Ford and Ms. Ramirez are in fact not being truthful about the events that happened. The FBI claims to have not found any implicating evidence and there really may be no story here. However, what type of message does this send, when we elect such men into powerful positions? Are we as a nation saying it is okay to turn a blind eye?

No two cases are the same, but similarities can always be found. Now let us examine another recent well publicized case. Bill Cosby, an American Comedian, famously known from his hit show “The Cosby Show” has been accused and recently convicted as a sex offender. Mid-January to mid-February 2004 Andrea Constand says Cosby sexually assaulted her at his home in Cheltenham Township in Montgomery, Pennsylvania. In 1979, Constand was a 25 year-old aspiring model. It was said that a producer introduced her to Cosby, who then met her in Las Vegas, purchased her a $2,500 outfit and took her to a show. It was explained that she believes someone put something (drugs) in her drink, because later in the night she says she blacked out but remembers seeing that she was in Cosby’s bed with two other naked people. A writer, Allison, says she was asked by her agent to meet Cosby for dinner around the late 1980s or early 1990. As reported by Carly Mallenbaum of USA TODAY, “she says she went to dinner, where she was the only guest, and felt sick upon sipping her drink. She says she remembers waking up, seeing semen and becoming nauseated, and that Cosby later put her hand on his genitals”. At his attorney’s midtown Manhattan law office, Cosby is interviewed by Cheltenham Police Chief John Norris, who later tells Vanity Fair that Cosby was “cooperative, congenial … He came in wearing the typical Cosby sweater. I was asking the question, and I thought [Cosby] was a gentleman. I didn’t think he was evasive. He answered every question I put to him. He said it was a consensual sexual encounter. That summarizes it.” Just like Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s case, there are statements from credible sources that in fact discredit the statements of Bill Cosby’s accusers. “Andrew Wyatt, Bill Cosby’s publicist, gave a scathing statement outside the courthouse, accusing prosecutors of fabricating evidence, referring to a “sex war,” says  Sopan Deb and Julia Jacobs. “Mr. Cosby’s prosecution “had been the most racist and sexist trial in the history of the United States.” He called Mr. Cosby “one of the greatest educators of men and boys over the last 50 years,” reported Andrew Wyatt reported by Sopan Deb and Julia Jacobs. Bill Cosby’s wife, Camille Cosby, also issued a statement outside the courthouse which was read by her publicist, Ebonee Benson, which said “evidence in the case had been falsified: We have now learned and will prove that Bill Cosby was denied his right to a fair trial because the D.A. of Montgomery County, Kevin Steele, used falsified evidence against him,” reported by Sopan Deb and Julia Jacobs.

Bill Cosby denied allegations and explained his recollection of the events, similar to Judge Brett Kavanaugh and President Donald Trump, but alternatively, he was convicted. After over 20 years since the alleged event and with no DNA evidence, Cosby was found guilty of sexaul assault and sentenced to 10 years in a state prison. In addition, “Cosby will be classified as a “sexually violent predator,” a determination that requires a lifetime sex offender registration, lifetime mandatory sex offender counseling with a treatment provider and notification to the community that a “sexually violent predator” lives in the area” reports Eric Levenson and Aaron Cooper, CNN. Kavanaugh and Trump not only maintain their freedom, but they have attained some of the most powerful positions established in this country.  President Trump was sentenced to four years as our nation’s commander and chief, and Justice Brett Kavanaugh was sentenced to a long-term seat in the Supreme Court. Are Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s witnesses/sources more credible than those of Bill Cosby? Are these men different in some way? Three similar cases, but one of them, for whatever reason had a very different outcome. Why do we as a nation overlook the sins of one but not the other? This is not to discredit the women who accused these men of these acts, but to bring awareness of how our system “works”. Two white men that have been accused of sexual misconduct attain high positions in our nation. However, a highly respected black man with the same accusations against him, and if not more than equal credible sources, gets a harsh jail sentence. Skin color is an obvious difference between the men. These three cases share similar accusations, same amount/types of evidence, and seemingly credible sources/witnesses to speak on the accused’s behalf. This is not to explicitly say that these men should serve prison time. Only those directly involved knows the truth,  but certain allegations just should not be a part of a candidate or nominee’s background when it comes to such esteemed positions. We need to have the utmost confidence and respect in those we elect to represent citizens of this country. Mediocre should not be acceptable. Comparing these cases really shows how our society gives certain allowances to some and not others. Justice Brett Kavanaugh and President Donald Trump were seemingly rewarded for their alleged crimes while, Mr.Bill Cosby was convicted and jailed for his. Varying outcomes for similar cases send mixed messages. From these cases, one can only draw the conclusion that sexual misconduct is acceptable for white men but not for black men. We need to be more vigilant in making sure people of all races, creeds and colors are examined and judged using the same rules and regulations. No system is perfect, and the judicial system is no exception, but we can start by making sure we allow, elect, or nominate those into power that have the views, morals and values that encourages fairness and equality.