Originally published 27 September 2018

A new accuser came forward Sunday, claiming that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her.

Deborah Ramirez, 53, described an incident involving Kavanaugh decades earlier, when they were both students at Yale University. She claimed that he exposed himself to her while drunk at a party, and preceded to thrust his sexual organs in her face.

She initially did not want to speak about the incident publicly since her memory “contained gaps” because she was also drinking at the time. She was also reluctant to “characterize Kavanaugh’s role in the alleged incident with certainty,” according to The Associated Press.

This accusation came hours after the terms of Christine Blasey Ford’s hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee was scheduled for today.

Ford had come forward last week to accuse Kavanaugh of sexual assault when he and she were both in high school.

Kavanaugh has denied both accusations. He accused both women of dishonesty by saying their claims constituted “a smear, plain and simple,” according to The Associated Press.

Professor Sara Schiavoni, a faculty member at JCU, voiced her opinions on the Kavanaugh accusations:

“The recent allegations of sexual misconduct are certainly changing the tenor of the hearings and are delaying a committee vote for a week if not longer.”

Schiavoni continued, “These allegations and the media attention that followed make the process more salient to the public, which may impact Senators’ votes, given the close proximity to midterm elections. The next few days will be extremely important because the public will have the opportunity to hear from all parties.”

She was also asked about the unusual situation of an accuser testifying before the Judiciary committee during a Supreme Court confirmation.

“Federal judicial selection is a cumbersome process because of the extreme vetting that takes place before a nomination is made — obviously, Presidents don’t want any surprises after they’ve announced their nominee. However, because of the timing of the allegations, that they were made after the nomination, no, it’s not surprising that the committee wants to hear from Dr. Ford.”

When asked whether there was a historical precedent concerning similar accusations against Supreme Court nominees, she said, “The most similar situation was the Clarence Thomas hearings, when allegations of sexual harassment surfaced midway through his confirmation hearings.”

Clarence Thomas was later confirmed to the Supreme Court, despite the allegations. But his accuser, Anita Hill, famously testified before a Senate committee in 1991.

To conclude, Schiavoni said, “While I think the short term consequences of these allegations (on Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation process) are noteworthy, I am equally concerned about the long-term impact of the perceived legitimacy of the U.S. Supreme Court.

“The extreme politicization of the process, with both the stalled Merrick Garland nomination and now Judge Kavanaugh’s hearings, will diminish the legitimate authority of the Supreme Court in the public’s eyes,” concluded Schiavoni.

Editor’s Note: Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.