U.S. Supreme Court appointee Brett Kavanaugh

Yale Students and Alumni Criticize Law School’s Praise of Kavanaugh’s Nomination

A number of Yale students, alumni, and educators are blasting Yale Law leaders for praising Brett M. Kavanaugh’s accomplishments following his nomination to the US Supreme Court.
The Washington Post reports that affiliated students, alumni, and educators signed an open  letter criticizing a Yale Law press release, which quoted several people praising Kavanaugh’s achievements and nomination to the Supreme Court.
“I have known Brett Kavanaugh for many years,” Dean Heather K. Gerken says in the press release. “I can personally attest that, in addition to his government and judicial service, Judge Kavanaugh has been a longtime friend to many of us in the Yale Law School community. Ever since I joined the faculty, I have admired him for serving as a teacher and mentor to our students and for hiring a diverse set of clerks, in all respects, during his time on the court.”
Open Letter Criticizes Yale Law and Kavanaugh
The open petition letter, issued to Gerken and Yale Law leaders, criticizes the press release and Kavanaugh’s nomination.
“Is there nothing more important to Yale Law School than its proximity to power and prestige,” the letter reads. “Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination presents an emergency — for democratic life, for our safety and freedom, for the future of our country. His nomination is not an interesting intellectual exercise to be debated amongst classmates and scholars in seminar. Support for Judge Kavanaugh is not apolitical. It is a political choice about the meaning of the Constitution and our vision of democracy, a choice with real consequences for real people. Without a doubt, Judge Kavanaugh is a threat to the most vulnerable.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, 297 students and alumni had signed the petition, according to The Weekly Standard. 
In response to the letter, Yale Law provided a statement.
“Yale Law School is a nonpartisan institution,” the statement reads. “We routinely acknowledge high-profile nominations of our alumni. We did exactly the same thing not so long ago when Justice Sonia Sotomayor ’79 received her nomination to the High Court.”
To read the open letter in full, click here.
Sources: The Washington Post, The Weekly Standard, Yale Law