Yale Law School Dean Calls For Kavanaugh Investigation Before Confirmation Vote

Antonia Blumberg
The dean of the Yale Law School on Friday joined the American Bar Association

The dean of the Yale Law School on Friday joined the American Bar Association in calling for an FBI investigation into sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh before the Senate Judiciary Committee votes on his confirmation.

“Proceeding with the confirmation process without further investigation is not in the best interest of the Court or our profession,” said Dean Heather Gerken in a statement posted on Twitter.

Gerken echoed the ABA, which on Thursday urged the committee to delay a confirmation vote on Kavanaugh.

“We make this request because of the ABA’s respect for the rule of law and due process under law,” it said in a letter to the committee. “The basic principles that underscore the Senate’s constitutional duty of advice and consent on federal judicial nominees require nothing less than a careful examination of the accusations and facts by the FBI.”

Calls to delay the committee vote, which is taking place Friday, followed a grueling day of testimony Thursday from Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused the judge of sexually assaulting her when they were both in high school.

Democrats on the committee have repeatedly urged the FBI to reopen its background investigation into Kavanaugh in the wake of allegations against him. Blasey had also called for an investigation before she would testify but ultimately agreed to move forward with Thursday’s hearing.

Kavanaugh is an alumnus of Yale Law School, where a growing number of students and alumni have denounced administrators for their rote support of the judge.

The school was also thrust into the spotlight in recent weeks when HuffPost and subsequently The Guardian reported that two well-known law professors had told students seeking clerkships with Kavanaugh that he liked female clerks with a “certain look.”

Three of Kavanaugh’s former classmates at the law school who previously endorsed the judge’s nomination have since rescinded their support and said the allegations warrant a “fair and credible investigation.”

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.