From TIME authored by Olivia B. Waxman:
“Days after her accusation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh became public, psychology professor Christine Blasey Ford has decided to testify about her claim that he sexually assaulted her when they were in high school. She’s scheduled to speak at a hearing on Thursday, offering the Senate and the nation a chance to hear her story in her own words. The implications of her accusations — and those of a second accuser, Kavanaugh’s college classmate Deborah Ramirez, who also alleges sexual misconduct — could not only affect the makeup of the Supreme Court, but also the makeup of Congress and local legislatures alike, as political consultants say the allegations could affect female voter turnout in the upcoming 2018 midterm elections.
And there’s good reason to believe that what happens during these confirmation hearings could in fact have an important impact on candidates and voters. After all, it happened before.
Ford’s accusations against Kavanaugh call to mind those made by law professor Anita Hill, who testified in 1991 that Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her when they worked together. One of the key effects of Hill’s testimony was felt in the election cycle that followed her appearance. By setting a record for women elected to Congress, 1992 earned the nickname “the Year of the Woman” — and in fact, one of those women was Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who was the one to escalate Ford’s accusations against Kavanaugh.”
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