In a statement, Heather Gerken, the dean of Yale Law School, where Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh earned his degree, said the confirmation process should be halted “in the best interest” of the Supreme Court.

“I join the American Bar Association in calling for an additional investigation into allegations made against Judge Kavanaugh. Proceeding with the confirmation process without further investigation is not in the best interest of the Court or our profession,” the statement read.

Gerken's statement deals a significant blow to the embattled Kavanaugh, whose testimony yesterday before the Senate Judiciary Committee opened him up to criticisms that he lacks the judicial temperament to preside over cases on the nation's highest court.

The statement quickly took social media storm amid calls for Senators Susan Collins (D-ME) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ), who are important swing votes, not to allow Kavanaugh's nomination to proceed. It also comes just after the American Bar Association (ABA) also called for the FBI to investigate the claums brought forward by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, the Stanford University professor who alleges Kavanaugh assaulted her when they were both in high school.

Yale's statement also came amid protests from its student body, which has also supported calls for an investigation. Yale officials also canceled classes to accommodate student demonstrators.

‘‘The allegations of sexual misconduct against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh are rightly causing deep concern at Yale Law School and across the country,’’ Gerken said in a statement earlier this week.

‘‘As dean, I cannot take a position on the nomination, but I am so proud of the work our community is doing to engage with these issues,” Gerken said, “and I stand with them in supporting the importance of fair process, the rule of law and the integrity of the legal system.’’

Calls for an FBI investigation have only continued to mount despite opposition from both Senate Republicans and the White House. Attorneys for Dr. Ford are insisting that the FBI should investigate her allegation despite pushback from Republicans who have claimed that to initiate an investigation would significantly delay a vote which has already been postponed. This reasoning has already been shown to be faulty: The FBI investigation of Anita Hill’s allegations that Justice Thomas sexually harassed her when he was her supervisor at the United States Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission only took three days.

President Trump has remained steadfast, however, and he has not shied away from dismissing allegations of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh as “totally political.” The White House released a statement from Kavanaugh in response to the latest claims from Swetnick.