Final answer:
Judge Brett Kavanaugh's high school yearbook details contribute to the idea that past behaviors can impact one's future, especially when considered for a Supreme Court nomination which carries lifelong tenure and ideological influence. The correct answer is option: a) Both contribute to the idea that people's words and actions in their youth can follow them into adulthood.
Step-by-step explanation:
Details about Judge Brett Kavanaugh's high school yearbook and drinking club membership develop the central idea that people's past words and actions can have long-term consequences, particularly for public figures. Given the lifetime appointment of Supreme Court justices and the ideological legacy they carry, every aspect of their past is scrutinized, as seen in historical cases like Robert Bork and Douglas Ginsburg.
Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings were highly partisan, putting the independence of the judiciary into question and illustrating how past behaviors and affiliations, like those recorded in a yearbook, can become pivotal in the intensely political process of a Supreme Court nomination.