Judge Brett Kavanaugh is President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee to replace retired Justice Anthony Kennedy, a key swing vote that could move the court in a more conservative direction on issues such as abortion.

Due to his judicial philosophy, Kavanaugh faced opposition from Democratic senators. This partisan conflict took on another dimension when multiple women, including Palo Alto University Prof. Christine Blasey Ford, accused the judge of sexual misconduct. Kavanuagh has denied all allegations against him, including Ford’s claim that he attempted to sexually assault her at a party the two attended while in high school.

After an FBI investigation into the allegations against Kavanaugh, the Senate held a cloture vote Friday morning. This 51-49 decision advances the judge’s nomination to a full vote on the Senate floor, which could happen as early as Saturday. 

The Daily Barometer asked students this week if they believe Kavanaugh should be confirmed to the Supreme Court or not.

Here’s what they had to say:

 

Brian Kim

Third-year, nuclear engineering

“I do not believe he should be eligible for the vote. Given the degree of the allegations, there are plenty of people who are equally qualified who could do the job at a lower risk.”

 

 

Gabrielle Gundersen

First-year, pre-general engineering

“No. I don’t think his argument is believable.”

 

 

Brian Giron Medina

First-year, business administration

“I think he should be eligible until there is valid proof against him. We live in a country where we are innocent until proven guilty.”

 

 

Roman Cohen

Second-year, marketing

“I definitely don’t think anyone accused of sexual assault or harassment should be able to run for any position like this.”

 

 

Colin Schulz

Third-year, history

“I feel like because this is a moral issue, probably not.”

 

 

Gloire Amanda

First-year, sociology

“Definitely not. They’ve made a strong case against him. If he wants to prove his innocence he should just let the investigation do its thing.”

 

 

Kailee Bush

First-year, pre-environmental engineering

“I don’t think he should be eligible. What he did was extremely unethical.”

 

 

Evietta Chapman

Second-year, political science

“Absolutely not. I think it’s a disgrace that our country is even entertaining the idea. The supreme court is the highest court of the land and the fact that he’s being accused by three different women is disgusting. I makes me feel unsafe that big decisions could be made by people who don’t value the judicial system. He’s making a big deal about the investigation being unfair, but these are the values he’s supposed to be upholding.”

 

 

Taylor Munro

Fourth year, public health

“No. I think it’s a very touchy subject, but I don’t think he should be eligible.”

 

 

Hersh Gupta

Second-year, business administration

“No. He’s already shown well enough that he isn’t non partisan enough to hold this position. Supreme court judges should be held to a higher standard.”