Getty Images/Drew Angerer
Judge Brett Kavanaugh delivers his opening statement during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, September 4, 2018 in Washington, DC.
- A leading Catholic publication said Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court should be withdrawn.
- The move comes after a day of impassioned testimony from Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who has accused him of sexual assault.
- The editors of America Magazine, a leading Catholic publication, said if lawmakers move forward with voting on Kavanaugh's confirmation, it would show that they prioritize policy goals over a woman's claims of sexual assault.
America Magazine, a leading Catholic publication, said Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court should be withdrawn.
The move comes after a day of impassioned testimony from Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing him of sexual assault.
"Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee [Thursday] clearly demonstrated both the seriousness of her allegation of assault by Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh and the stakes of this question for the whole country," the publication wrote.
"Evaluating the credibility of these competing accounts is a question about which people of good will can and do disagree. The editors of this review have no special insight into who is telling the truth," the editors wrote, saying that if Ford's allegation is true, "the assault and Judge Kavanaugh's denial of it mean that he should not be seated on the U.S. Supreme Court."
"But even if the credibility of the allegation has not been established beyond a reasonable doubt and even if further investigation is warranted to determine its validity or clear Judge Kavanaugh's name, we recognize that this nomination is no longer in the best interests of the country."
"While we previously endorsed the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh on the basis of his legal credentials and his reputation as a committed textualist, it is now clear that the nomination should be withdrawn."
The editors in July praised Kavanaugh shortly after President Donald Trump nominated him to the high court.
Kavanaugh attended the elite all-boys Jesuit high school, Georgetown Prep, in the early 1980s and played on the school's basketball and football teams. Current Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch is an alum as well.
A 2015 clip of Kavanaugh referencing his time at Georgetown Prep recently resurfaced. While delivering remarks at the Columbus School of Law, Kavanaugh said of his alma mater: "We had a good saying that we've held firm to to this day as the dean was reminding me before the talk, which is what happens at Georgetown Prep stays at Georgetown Prep. That's been a good thing for all of us."
Kavanaugh's high school friend Mark Judge, who wrote two memoirs recounting the drinking and debauchery he said he took part in while at Prep, is accused of being an eyewitness to Ford's claim of sexual assault. At least two other women have accused Kavanaugh of misconduct in the days since Ford's account emerged.
Both Kavanaugh and Judge have both vehemently denied the allegations. The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on Friday whether to recommend Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court.