Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh stands accused of sexual assault. Palo Alto University professor Christine Blasey Ford has made the accusation. Both deserve an opportunity to discuss the issue in public, and we support a new round of Senate hearings to resolve it.
The Senate Judiciary Committee had scheduled a vote on Kavanaugh's nomination for this week, but the seriousness of the allegations merits delaying the vote until the committee and the country have a chance to examine all the facts.
The confirmation process, by design, is meant to determine not only a candidate's qualifications but also fitness for the position he or she will hold. Supreme Court justices are appointed for life, and an allegation like this requires careful deliberation, not a rush to reach conclusions.
We think it's a good sign the committee will conduct these proceedings in the view of the public instead of with a round of phone calls. The evidence presented and the credibility of both Kavanaugh and Blasey is critically important, and the consequence of this situation demands that it be reviewed in a public forum. That way, the country won't have to rely on secondhand information and interpretations of what both say.
With that said, we also urge members of the committee from both parties to conduct these additional hearings with the professionalism we expect from our elected leaders. No one, especially Kavanaugh and Blasey, will be served if the questioning breaks down into partisan rancor.
The subject is emotional and passions will no doubt flare. At the conclusion of these hearings, members of the Senate will have a tough decision to make. It should be one that gets made in a sober-minded fashion, taking into account the facts that will get illuminated by the process.
