We planned to address how we would handle Clarence Thomas in the game when we were ready to announce it more formally. I started working on Supreme Courtship to shine a spotlight on a branch of government that too often gets overlooked by young voters - the only branch that fills seats for a lifetime. I was born in 1988 too young by far in 1991 to have understood the importance of the Supreme Court or to have made a difference during the Clarence Thomas confirmation. The fact that the serious allegations of sexual violence did not disqualify Kavanaugh from the Supreme Court is a sign of how much work remains to be done to achieve the very justice that the Court claims to embody. It is difficult to trust in the integrity of the Supreme Court when a man accused of violence against women is in a position to tip the scales against their interests, as Clarence Thomas did with his deciding vote in Ledbetter v Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. So how can we do better in the future? We can start by listening to Anita Hill herself, who recently suggested a course of action to the Senate Judiciary Committee in a NYTimes article:Īnd we can contact our Senators, asking to challenge Kavanaugh’s position on the Supreme Court. We also stand behind any other potential victims who wish not to draw a spotlight to themselves. Targets of abuse deserve belief and support when they speak, and we stand behind Anita Hill and Christine Blasey Ford for having done so. Even after his confirmation, attempts to discredit Dr. These allegations were and still are extremely serious, and should be treated as such. Christine Blasey Ford when they were both in high school. Serious allegations were made that Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh assaulted and attempted to rape Dr.

Now, in 2018, history has repeated itself. During the confirmation hearings, Professor Anita Hill testified about the sexual harassment she had experienced and endured while working for Thomas.ĭespite the seriousness of the allegations, Clarence Thomas was confirmed as a Justice of the most powerful Court in the United States. In 1991, Clarence Thomas was nominated for a position on the Supreme Court. (And we look forward to having more positive things to talk about soon!)īrett Kavanaugh supreme court Supreme Court Justice Supreme Courtship supreme court appointment clarence thomas just us games discussion politics gaming indie game dev justice We will bring Supreme Courtship to Kickstarter on our own schedule.Īs always, we’re open to feedback regarding this decision. As a creator, I’m not comfortable using people’s pain, suffering, and outrage to drive sales.

Lastly, it’s been suggested that we should capitalize on this controversy by launching our Kickstarter early. We can only make the game that speaks to us, and hope it resonates with others as well. No decision we make is going to please everyone and doing so was never the goal. Our decision re: Kavanaugh has led some to accuse us of writing revisionist history. What happens when the public loses faith in the judiciary? How can a Justice be impeached? We will not be ignoring Kavanaugh’s confirmation completely - his demeanor and the manner of his appointment have raised issues that we’ll address within our game. We have no such concern about removing Kavanaugh. With Thomas, we were loathe to remove and silence the longest-serving minority member of the Court. Kavanaugh also joins Thomas as a Justice confirmed despite credible allegations of sexual harassment or assault against women. Kavanaugh has demonstrated an openly partisan bias and an angry demeanor that has no place in our game, let alone the nation’s highest Court.

With Supreme Courtship, we portray an idealized version of the Supreme Court - as a place where people can disagree but still get along. Justice Gorsuch was already on the cutting room floor, to keep the 9th seat vacant for the player’s character.īut Kavanaugh is not a typical Justice, and our reasons for not including him extend well beyond time constraints. Our decision not to include Kavanaugh was an easy one for us from the beginning, we knew that our small team would not be able to keep up with changes to the Court. He will not be a character in Supreme Courtship. Justice Kavanaugh has been appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States despite multiple credible allegations of sexual assault, and despite demonstrating a partisan animus that is completely unbecoming of a Justice.

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