The confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh has been extremely controversial in politics recently. While some people are absolutely overjoyed, others are horrified. There’s even a group of self-proclaimed witches in New York planning to put a hex on Kavanaugh. This situation has deepened the rift between Republicans and Democrats; both sides still refuse to agree.

The accusations against Kavanaugh are some of the latest in the #METOO movement, as three women accused him of sexual assault. The alleged assaults took place while they were in high school or college. Kavanaugh denied all allegations. Still, the FBI conducted an investigation of the situation before he could be confirmed to the Supreme Court. On Oct. 6 the Senate voted 50-48 in support of Kavanaugh, and he was deemed legible to serve on the Supreme Court.

So what does this mean for the #METOO movement? What does it mean for the political atmosphere? Most importantly, what does this mean for American citizens?

This is a big win for the Republicans. Kavanaugh’s policies are typically conservative; he is expected to lean towards them on issues like abortion and gun control. His history with similar cases in the past supports that expectation.

The spot on the Supreme Court had remained open since July of 2018, when former Judge Anthony Kennedy retired. Trump nominated Kavanaugh soon after. Throughout the investigation, the validity of the #METOO movement was called into question. Some even described it as a “witch hunt” for powerful men.

“I think [the #METOO movement] is incredible,” said junior Jenna Richards. “It’s a movement built on the trust of women, and women coming together. For basically all of history, women’s stories have been challenged by general opinions, and to see us finally taking a stand is necessary for changing the future.”

Richards strongly believes in the empowerment of women and despises the fact that women’s stories and traumas have been reshaped to fit political agendas, adding, “In the future, I hope that women’s (and men’s) stories aren’t turned political. Rape and sexual assault are not political statements. Rape stories should not be treated like the boy who cried wolf.”

To Richards and many people with similar thoughts, Kavanaugh’s confirmation is a huge loss for women and sexual assault victims.

“I don’t know [if Kavanaugh should have been confirmed],” stated senior Sarah Waller. “I was researching his political views, and he seems like a pretty weak Republican. Like, he’s not gonna try to overturn the big cases, at least that’s what he said. It could have been worse.”

Waller was in agreement with Richards on nearly everything. Both believed the accusers, but Waller told me she isn’t sure exactly how she feels about Kavanaugh, saying, “We’ll have to see what happens.”

History teacher Ron Gorr also expressed his thoughts on the situation.

“I think we’re going to see conservative agendas show up on the docket more often. We could be dealing with things like gay rights and women’s rights. We could even be dealing with things like capital punishment; that could be revisited. And it’s one vote, it’s not five. He’ll be a part of that decision.”

Regardless of political affiliation, the Kavanaugh confirmation was a huge deal on both sides: a Republican victory and a Democratic defeat. Although Kavanaugh has been confirmed, Kadets continue to wait for more information to unfold on the case.

Disclaimer: This is a modified version of this article.