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An “impeach Kavanaugh petition” has already gathered more than 125,000 signatures since the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
Kavanaugh was confirmed on a 50-48 vote after a contentious confirmation process that included three named accusations of sexual misconduct, which he adamantly denied. The petition, on Credo Action site, features a photo of an angry Kavanaugh. It’s a petition to the U.S. House of Representatives, which Democrats hope to flip in November, and it reads:
“There is no room for an accused sexual predator and liar on the Supreme Court. Brett Kavanaugh faces credible accusations of sexual assault and perjury and should be impeached. Initiate impeachment proceedings to remove him from the federal bench.”
You can find the petition here.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Petition Accuses Republicans of Hate & Misogyny
GettyBrett Kavanaugh crying and getting angry at the hearing. See photos.
The petition doesn’t mince words. It accuses Republicans of advancing hate and misogyny. Specifically, the petition reads, in part:
“Mitch McConnell and his sexist party may have won the battle to confirm Brett Kavanaugh – but this fight is far from over.
Kavanaugh has been credibly accused of sexual assault and lying under oath in 2004, 2006 and at least 30 times during his Supreme Court confirmation hearings.1 Perjury is an impeachable offense. The House Judiciary Committee should immediately investigate these accusations and work to remove Kavanaugh from the Supreme Court.2
Our activism forced Republicans’ misogyny and hate into the spotlight and delayed the confirmation process for weeks. Now we need use the same grassroots power to show House members that we expect them to lead and we won’t back down as long as an accused sexual predator sits on the Supreme Court.”
The petition’s goal is 150,000 signatures.
According to NBC News, no U.S. Supreme Court justice has ever been removed from the bench. “Samuel Chase was impeached in 1804 but was acquitted by the Senate and remained on the bench,” according to NBC.
“An accused sexual predator who committed perjury by repeatedly lying under oath to the Senate Judiciary Committee has no business being a judge — period,” said Heidi Hess, co-director of the liberal organization that started the impeachment petition, to NBC News.
A separate Move On petition seeking Kavanaugh’s impeachment has more than 11,000 signatures.
Is impeachment a realistic possibility? Obviously, it would first require Democrats to retake the House or Senate. To impeach Kavanaugh, according to Fox News, the House would have to decide to bring him up on charges of “treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” However, Fox reports, those terms are not clearly defined.
The Senate would then have to vote to convict. A two-thirds majority vote would be required to remove Kavanaugh from the bench. Democrats would also have to calculate voters’ reaction to such a move. Democrats aren’t expected to get anywhere near two-thirds of seats in the Senate, so they would have to get cross-over Republicans to go along with any impeachment move. What’s more possible is that Democrats could possibly regain the House (by no means certain) and launch an investigation into Kavanaugh anew.