Timeline of events that led to Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade
Brett Kavanaugh confirmed – Oct. 6, 2018
Following a controversial series of hearings that included allegations of sexual assault and numerous pro-choice protesters, Judge Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed by the Senate in a vote of 50-48.
Nominated by Trump in July 2018, Kavanaugh was slated to replace the retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. Kennedy had been part of the majority for the Supreme Court case Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which had upheld Roe.
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The Senate committee hearings for Kavanaugh's confirmation were frequently interrupted by abortion protesters who opposed his nomination, with many believing that his confirmation would shift the high court rightward.
Additionally, a psychology professor named Christine Blasey Ford claimed that Kavanaugh and another man attempted to sexually assault her back in the 1980s. Her claims were publicly refuted by others who knew her, however.
During the Senate vote, pro-choice Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine voted to confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, arguing in a lengthy speech that she did not find the sexual assault allegations credible.
Additionally, Collins said that she had talked with Kavanaugh and did not believe he would overturn Roe, as he had considered it “precedent on precedent.”
