"We cannot remain silent under these extraordinary circumstances about a lifetime appointment to the highest court of the land."
So declared the ACLU in a statement on Saturday announcing that its board of directors has taken the rare step of voting to formally oppose President Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh, who has been accused of sexual assault by multiple women.
"The ACLU's board of directors, deeply concerned by the allegations raised in recent weeks, has made a rare exception to its longstanding policy."
—Susan Herman, ACLU
"The ACLU opposes the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court," reads a resolution passed by the ACLU's board of directors. "There are credible allegations that Judge Kavanaugh has engaged in serious misconduct that have not been adequately investigated by the Senate."
"Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's credible testimony, subsequent allegations of sexual misconduct, the inadequate investigation, and Judge Kavanaugh's testimony at the hearing lead us to doubt Judge Kavanaugh's fitness to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court," the resolution concludes.
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As the ACLU explained on Saturday, the organization is nonpartisan and, as such, does not typically take formal positions on judicial nominees.
The vote to oppose Kavanaugh is just the fourth time in the organization's 98-year history that it has voted to break this strict policy.
"The ACLU's board of directors, deeply concerned by the allegations raised in recent weeks, has made a rare exception to its longstanding policy," ACLU president Susan Herman said in a statement on Saturday. "As a nonpartisan organization, the ACLU does not oppose Judge Kavanaugh based on predictions about how he would vote as a Justice. We oppose him in light of the credible allegations of sexual assault against him."
