'What Goes Around, Comes Around': Kavanaugh's Snarl Takes on New Meaning Now That He's a U.S. Supreme Court Justice

Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill September 27, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Melina Mara-Pool/Getty Images)

'What Goes Around, Comes Around': Kavanaugh's Snarl Takes on New Meaning Now That He's a U.S. Supreme Court Justice

"So no matter how genteelly he forces himself to behave in the future," warns Naomi Klein, "remember that the snarl was the truth - not just about his character but about his true purpose on the bench."

In the wake of Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation and swearing in as the newest associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court at a subsequent private ceremony, journalist Ashley Feinberg was among those who returned to his charged testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, September 27 when she declared Saturday afternoon: "I just keep thinking about [his] sneering 'what goes around comes around.'"

Those words by Kavanaugh were delivered as part of a snearing counter-attack aimed at Democratic members of the committee and the wider American public viewing the hearing on televisions nationwide. In part, it looked like this:

But while the overtly partisan remarks and the manner with which he delivered them led many to the conclusion that Kavanaugh did not have the "judicial temperament" to sit on the nation's highest court, author and journalist Naomi Klein posited that it is more important than ever to understand that moment and recognize the profound ramifications it will have going forward now that Justice Kavanaugh is a reality.

As Feinberg's colleague at the Huffington Post, Paul Blumenthal, points out--in a piece titled, "The Coming Kavanaugh Court Doctrine: Democrats Are Unconstitutional"--the threat of "what goes around comes around" could have serious implications for "cases that help Republicans and harm Democrats" in the future.

"Essentially what he did is he took his mask off and he revealed himself as a politician who wears a robe," Jessica Levinson, a Loyola Law School professor, told Blumenthal.

Meanwhile, in her online thread composed on Saturday, Klein argued that the "snarl" Kanavaugh offered during his confirmation hearing is only a taste of what's to come:

Join Us: News for people demanding a better world


Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place.

We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference.

Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today!

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.