The Senate Judiciary Committee has announced a Monday hearing featuring Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the woman accusing him of sexual assault, Christine Blasey Ford.

However, committee Democrats are against the move. They want a full investigation of the allegations before the committee revisits Kavanaugh’s nomination. They also hope to hold off a confirmation vote as long as possible, in case Democrats take the Senate in November.

We look back at parallels with the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill allegations, as well as the confirmation process protocols and the difficulty of determining truth in these situations.

Guests:

Ron Elving, senior editor and correspondent on the Washington Desk for NPR

Paul Collins, professor and director of legal studies in the political science department at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; co-author of “Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings and Constitutional Change” (Cambridge, 2013)

Merrick Rossein, professor of law at City University of New York School of Law

Carolyn Shapiro, associate professor of law and co-director of the Institute on the Supreme Court of the United States at Chicago-Kent College of Law