Lawyers and other legal experts say there are significant hurdles to bringing criminal charges against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, a prospect that has been raised after Christine Blasey Ford said he sexually assaulted her 36 years ago when they were both in high school.

Ford says in 1982, Kavanaugh was drunk when he pinned her to a bed, groped her, and tried to remove her clothing. Kavanaugh denied it, but based on Ford’s description of the event, his alleged actions could be considered second-degree assault or a fourth-degree sexual offense, according to legal experts.