The junk science Republicans used to undermine Ford and help save Kavanaugh

The politically convenient, scientifically baseless theory that sexual assault so traumatized Christine Blasey Ford she mixed up her attacker is now something like common wisdom for many Republicans. President Trump explicitly endorsed the theory Saturday, shortly after Brett M. Kavanaugh was narrowly confirmed as a Supreme Court judge, telling reporters […] Read more »

‘Rock bottom’: Supreme Court fight reveals a country on the brink

When Christine Blasey Ford accused Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of sexual assault last month, she did more than open herself up to unwanted scrutiny. She held up a mirror to a country in crisis, revealing its political players and embattled institutions not for what they claimed to be but for […] Read more »

The Supreme Court Nomination That Tore the Country Apart

… This nomination has managed to do considerable damage to all three branches of government. It made the presidency appear more petty than it already looked. The spectacle of Republican senators hiring a female prosecutor to speak to Ford rather than speak to her themselves, then dismissing and diminishing Ford […] Read more »

Less than 1% of rapes lead to felony convictions. At least 89% of victims face emotional and physical consequences.

The consequences of sexual assault fall overwhelmingly on the victims. About 0.7 percent of rapes and attempted rapes end with a felony conviction for the perpetrator, according to an estimate based on the best of the imperfect measures available. On the other side of the incident, at least 89 percent […] Read more »

Senate races move right, House races move left in political fallout from Kavanaugh confirmation fight

The nomination fight over Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh has injected new volatility into the midterm elections, reshaping races across the country and sharpening the already bitterly partisan tone for the final four-week stretch before Nov. 6. Much uncertainty remains — not least because of the rapid-fire succession of evolving crises […] Read more »

The Kavanaugh battle only magnified the nation’s divisions and may leave lasting scars

The confirmation battle over the nomination of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court has left the country as it was before President Trump selected him: deeply divided, politically polarized and with many people hostile toward those of opposing views. But that hardly means everything has reverted to the […] Read more »