Donald Trump has once again nominated someone with a controversial past to a position of influence. He nominated Brett Kavanaugh for the post of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in July last year. Post this, a few women came out accusing Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct—Christine Ford was one of them. Kavanaugh was eventually made Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. This time, he has nominated Neomi Rao, an associate professor at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University for a set in the DC Circuit Court of Appeals.
Reportedly, Rao has a reputation of writing blogs that blamed the victim of sexual abuse while at Yale. She also has written stories disparaging people of colour, those who are LGBTQ, according to Refinery29. She has, on occasions, doubted climate change phenomenon. The DC Circuit Court of Appeals is often seen as a stepping stone towards the Supreme Court.
In a 1999 column in the Yale Herald she had written, “A man who rapes a drunk girl should be prosecuted," she writes. "At the same time, a good way to avoid a potential date rape is to stay reasonably sober." Then, she adds, "And if she drinks to the point where she can no longer choose, well, getting to that point was part of her choice."
Jess Davidson, the executive director of End Rape on Campus, said, according to Refinery29, that her statements condoned victim blaming and the comments should disqualify a judicial nominee or anyone interested in holding public office. In her position at the DC Court, she will have a say in fates of women affected by sexual violence and in cases involving women's rights. And in this light, Rao's nomination does not seem like a sound choice. In her current position as the head of the US Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Rao signed off on the department of education's new Title IX policies, which prioritises protecting the accused and institutions instead of survivors.
"Some feminists chant that women should be free to wear short skirts or bright lipstick, but true sexual signals lie beyond these blatant signs. Misunderstandings occur from subtle glances, ambiguous words." Rao wrote in another column. These comments are just tip of the iceberg. Rao in her years at Yale has said that movement for LGBTQ rights is a "trendy political movement", and suggested that climate change isn't real.
