Kavanaugh reveals widening social divides

Despite being accused by three women of sexual misconduct, Brett Michael Kavanaugh was sworn in as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States on Saturday after the Senate confirmed his nomination by a vote of 50-48 earlier that day. Beijing News comments:

US President Donald Trump has endorsed Kavanaugh many times on the social media since his nomination to the Supreme Court in July. The 50-48 vote in the Senate, the narrowest margin since it voted on the post in 1881, exposes the split of the top legislature, which apparently arises from conflicts between parties, instead of whether the nominee is qualified for the post.

Kavanaugh's life in his new post will certainly not be a plain sailing, since the Democrats have declared that if they win the midterm elections and hold more seats than the Republicans in the Senate, they will initiate an investigation on the sexual assault allegations against him.

Kavanaugh becomes the ninth supreme justice, and the fifth conservative among them. They are younger than the liberals, and will likely cast more influence on the Supreme Court's stance on a series of controversial issues, such as abortion and same-sex marriage, which may create new conflicts in the society.

The widespread protests against his assuming office show the public anger over the fact that the legislator does not represent the views of many.

Taking the new job, Kavanaugh will by no means become a political heritage of the Trump administration, but a blasting fuse of factions within the Washington circle and the divided US society.

The US government is like a pendulum swinging between the conservatives and the liberals. Now the amplitude of the swing becomes larger and larger, increasing the uncertainties of the US home and foreign policies.