This article has been updated to reflect news developments.

Think of the Brett Kavanaugh nomination this way:

A president who has faced at least a dozen allegations of sexual assault is attempting to appoint a second Supreme Court justice who has credibly been accused of sexual misconduct, and those two justices might well help form a new court majority to chip away at abortion rights in the United States.

I don’t pretend to know precisely what happened in the various incidents Kavanaugh is accused of. But this I know: When a man has a cloud over him, of multiple sexual assault allegations and of lies that come close to perjury, and when that man’s defenders refuse to allow a thorough investigation, that person should not be elevated to a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court.

Yet without any serious investigation, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted on Friday to recommend Kavanaugh’s confirmation. Senate Republican leaders then agreed to a limited F.B.I. investigation taking no more than a week, which is encouraging, but may still be inadequate, or simply ignored. What is clear is that Kavanaugh has moved a step closer to the Supreme Court.

Hold on!

Kavanaugh’s defenders are right that the Supreme Court confirmation process has been politicized. Any doubts, just ask “Justice Merrick Garland.”