October 21, 2021

Christine Blasey Ford

A student waits for fellow demonstrators for a rally on the U.S. Capitol East Lawn to protest the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh on October 6th, 2018, in Washington, D.C.
News in Brief

The Supreme Court Nomination That Tore the Country Apart

The ascendence of Brett Kavanaugh levied considerable damage to all three branches of government.

Hundreds of protesters rally in the Hart Senate Office Building while demonstrating against the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh on Capitol Hill September 24th, 2018, in Washington, D.C.
According to Research

False Reports of Sexual Assault Are Rare. But Why Is There So Little Reliable Data About Them?

Contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence that false rape reports drastically exceed those of other crimes.

Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing on September 4th, 2018, in Washington, D.C.
Dispatches

Dispatches: A Historic Supreme Court Confirmation Hearing

News and notes from Pacific Standard staff and contributors.

Senator Jeff Flake listens to Democratic senators speak during a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting on September 28th, 2018, in Washington, D.C.
News in Brief

What Can We Learn From Jeff Flake's About-Face?

Activism matters, for one.

Dozens of protesters against the confirmation of Republican Supreme court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh gather outside of Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer's office on September 27th, 2018, in New York, New York.
The Week in Photos

The Kavanaugh Allegations Rock the United States (in Photos)

The Supreme Court nominee's confirmation hearings touched a raw nerve for survivors of sexual violence.

Judge Brett Kavanaugh is sworn in before testifying during the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 27th, 2018, in Washington, D.C.
The (Short) PS Interview

Kavanaugh's Trip to the Twilight Zone

A legal scholar dissects Thursday's emotionally charged Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearing.

A tear runs down the cheek of Representative Carolyn Malone (D-New York) as Christine Blasey Ford testifies during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill on September 27th, 2018, in Washington, D.C. A professor at Palo Alto University and a research psychologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine, Ford has accused Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her during a party in 1982, when they were high school students in suburban Maryland.
Viewfinder

Viewfinder: Emotional Moments During Christine Blasey Ford's Testimony

A tear runs down the cheek of Representative Carolyn Malone (D-New York) as Christine Blasey Ford testifies during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court on September 27th, 2018.

Judge Brett Kavanaugh testifies to the Senate Judiciary Committee during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on September 27th, 2018, in Washington, DC.
Key Takeaways

Kavanaugh Frequently Interrupted Female Senators on Thursday. That Doesn't Bode Well for His Supreme Court Conduct.

And other takeaways from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's Thursday hearing.

Christine Blasey Ford testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 27th, 2018.
According to Research

For Ford, Could the Senate Hearings Open Up Old Wounds?

Research shows that the trauma of sexual assault lingers for victims, and ruminating over the memory of an assault could re-traumatize survivors.

Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of a sexual assault in 1982, testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for Kavanaugh on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on September 27th, 2018.
The (Short) PS Interview

There Are Best Practices for Interviewing Those Who Report Sex Crimes—and Thursday's Senate Hearing Followed None of Them

An expert on how to best investigate sex crimes responds to Christine Blasey Ford's testimony.

Brett Kavanaugh listens to opening statements during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing on September 4th, 2018, in Washington, D.C.
The (Short) PS Interview

Why Kavanaugh Should Welcome an FBI Investigation

A legal scholar argues the judge's credibility is lower than Christine Blasey Ford's—and that's exactly why he'd be wise to embrace an independent evaluation of the assault allegation.

Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 4th, 2018, in Washington, D.C.
News in Brief

Should Trump Cut His Losses With Kavanaugh?

It might seem like an extreme move, but it wouldn't be unprecedented.

In protest against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, activists chant slogans outside the office of Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on September 20th, 2018, at Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
According to Research

Science Says: Believe Women

Here's what the politicians and pundits are saying about Christine Blasey Ford's allegations—and what the research can tell us about the truth of their claims.