Thursday, August 16, 2018

8/26/18 Twitter Chat: #SCOTUS Nominee Brett Kavanaugh


Image description: yellow graphic with a black Twitter bird icon on the left and an illustration of tipped scales in black on the right. Text reads: #CripTheVote SCOTUS Nominee Brett Kavanaugh, August 26, 2018, 4 pm Pacific/ 7 pm Eastern, Details: http://cripthevote.blogspot.com

SCOTUS Nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh
Sunday, August 26, 2018 
4 pm Pacific, 5 pm Mountain, 6 pm Central, 7 pm Eastern

Join #CripTheVote for this discussion about the nominee to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Before the hearing for Judge Kavanaugh starts on September 4th, we will discuss what this nomination will mean for the disability community and the nominee’s record on civil rights and other important issues.

Additional links




Review of disability-related cases by Judge Brett Kavanaugh (July 2018, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law)










How to Participate

Follow @GreggBeratan @AndrewPulrang @DisVisibility. When it’s time for the chat, search #CripTheVote on Twitter for the series of live tweets under the ‘Latest’ tab for the full conversation. 

If you don’t use Twitter, you can follow along in real time here: http://twubs.com/CripTheVote

If you might be overwhelmed by the amount of tweets and only want to see the chat’s questions so you can respond to them, check @DisVisibility’s account. The questions will be Tweeted 5-6 minutes apart. 

Another way to participate in the chat is to use this app that allows you to pause the chat if the Tweets are coming at you too fast: http://www.tchat.io/ 

Here’s an article about how to participate in a Twitter chat: https://www.adweek.com/digital/how-to-join-a-twitter-hashtag-chat/

Check out this captioned ASL explanation of how to participate in a chat by @behearddc
https://www.facebook.com/HEARDDC/videos/1181213075257528/

Introductory Tweets and Questions for the Chat

Welcome to the #CripTheVote chat on #SCOTUS nominees and Judge Brett Kavanaugh. FYI, throughout the chat SCOTUS refers to the Supreme Court of the United States. 

Remember to use the #CripTheVote hashtag when you tweet. If you respond to a question such as Q1, your tweet should follow this format: “A1 [your message] #CripTheVote”

Content warnings: abortion, bodily autonomy, medical coercion, forced treatment, forced surgery. Please feel free to mute or take a break from this chat if needed. 

9/4 will be the first day of the confirmation hearing of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to serve as #SCOTUS Associate Justice with questioning beginning 9/5 https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/rep/releases/grassley-kavanaugh-hearings-to-begin-september-4 #CripTheVote

Q1 Why does the Supreme Court, and the justices nominated to #SCOTUS, matter to you as a disabled person, to the future of the entire country? #CripTheVote

Q2 What are some recent and past examples of #SCOTUS nominees with significant track records on disability rights (both negative and positive)? #CripTheVote

Q3 Once the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh was announced, what were your thoughts about his professional background and rulings as a judge? #CripTheVote

Q4 On the Affordable Care Act, Kavanaugh dissented in a decision that said the #ACA was constitutional. What are your concerns on how this will impact access to quality healthcare? #CripTheVote http://www.medicareadvocacy.org/center-for-medicare-advocacy-statement-on-the-nomination-of-judge-brett-kavanaugh-to-the-united-states-supreme-court/

Note on language: ‘dissented’ means disagreeing with an opinion or decision held by a majority of people. ‘Affirmed the constitutionality’ means a decision or law that is in agreement with the United States Constitution #CripTheVote 

In the case Doe ex rel. Tarlow v. D.C, Kavanaugh vacated a decision that protected disabled people’s right to self-determination & decision-making with elective surgeries including abortion. For more: https://talkpoverty.org/2018/08/09/kavanaugh-thinks-okay-perform-elective-surgery-people-without-consent/

Q5 What are your thoughts and concerns about this ruling by Kavanaugh in Doe ex rel. Tarlow v. D.C and how it will impact the disability community if he is confirmed to #SCOTUS? #CripTheVote

Q6 What are some other ways the Kavanaugh nomination to #SCOTUS will impact reproductive choice, voting rights, civil rights, workers rights and other important issues?  #CripTheVote

Kavanaugh also has an expansive view of the Executive Branch, believing that presidents should not be subject to civil lawsuits or criminal investigations while in office. https://civilrights.org/oppose-confirmation-brett-kavanaugh-supreme-court-united-states/ #CripTheVote

Q7 How will Kavanaugh’s view of Presidential power put the checks and balances at risk between the legislative, judicial, and executive branch of the federal govt? For more about the different branches of govt: https://www.aucd.org/docs/policy/Plain%20Text_Nomination%20of%20Judge%20Brett%20Kavanaugh.pdf #CripTheVote

Q8 What can individuals do to voice their opinions about Kavanaugh or any #SCOTUS nominee? 

This concludes our #CripTheVote chat on #SCOTUS nominees and Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Thank you for joining us today. A compilation of Tweets from this #CripTheVote chat will be up shortly. Check out our blog for the latest: http://cripthevote.blogspot.com/