Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmed to US Supreme Court
Judge Kentaji Brown Jackson is making history as the first Black woman to occupy the role of associate justice in the Supreme Court following her confirmation by the U.S. Senate April 8. Wiki Commons
In a historic vote on Friday, the U.S. Senate confirmed Judge Kentanji Brown Jackson to the United States Supreme Court. Jackson will now be the first Black woman to occupy the role of associate justice in the Supreme Court’s 233-year history.
“Today is indeed a wonderful day,” Kamala Harris, the first Black woman to hold the position of vice president in the U.S., told a crowd gathered on the South Lawn of the White House April 8 in celebration of Jackson’s confirmation.
Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined their Democratic colleagues in voting “yes” to confirm Jackson with a 53-47 majority.
“In my family, we have gone from segregation to the Supreme Court in just one generation,” Jackson said during the Friday press conference.
Jackson has nearly nine years of prior judicial experience as a federal district and appeals court judge — which is more than current Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas, John G. Roberts, Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett have combined, since all of them served for less than three years before nomination. Jackson’s confirmation also categorizes her as the first justice with experience as a federal public defender.
Since the hearings began March 21, many Democrats have criticized the ethics of some questions asked by Republican members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Contentious moments from the hearings include Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) asking Jackson if she believes babies are inherently racist and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) prompting the nominee to define the word “woman.”
In a statement of solidarity with Jackson, NAACP’s General Counsel, Janette McCarthy Wallace, described the behavior of Senate members from the Grand Old Party (GOP) as “rude and hostile.”
“(Republican committee members) asked inane, irrelevant and inappropriate questions, interrupted and cut off Judge Jackson when she attempted to answer and, alternatively, (spoke) to her as if she were a child, a criminal suspect or a sworn enemy,” Wallace wrote in the March 25 press release. “While this blatant display of disrespect and racism toward a highly-qualified Black woman was, unfortunately, not surprising, it was nonetheless shocking and disheartening.”
Patrick Swymer, the president of Long Beach Young Democrats, said he was far from surprised by the Republican senators’ line of questioning for Jackson.
“It seems that (the GOP’s) focus is just on winning rather than being right or being moral,” Swymer told The Panther.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) articulated his distaste for the Republican senators’ interrogation tactics moments before the April 4 Senate Judiciary Committee vote.
“I am hearing from people, not just Black women, who are relating to me their stories about having to come into a room where you’re more qualified than the people who are sitting in judgment of you and having to endure the absurdities of disrespect that we saw Judge Jackson endure,” Booker said..
Cruz defended this line of questioning by saying it came from a place of concern that Jackson would not stay impartial. Jackson addressed this concern at the hearing.
“I decide cases from a neutral posture,” Jackson said in response to how she will remain neutral on topics. “I evaluate the facts, and interpret and apply the law to the facts of the case before me, without fear or favor, consistent with my judicial oath.”
Jackson will be sworn in this summer after Justice Stephen Breyer officially retires.