Ketanji Brown Jackson made history on Thursday when the Senate voted 53 to 47 to make her the first black woman to be a Supreme Court judge in the country’s history.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who herself was for the first time in history the first black and Asian American vice president, was available to chair the confirmation vote. Ms. Jackson’s ascent to the country’s highest court was a celebration for many Democrats.
“Today, justice at the highest levels in our country looks a little more like what he says,” Georgia Sen. Rafael Warnock, one of only three black senators who sat in the audience during her hearing, told The Independent. confirmation. .
Judge Jackson herself oversaw the trials with White House President Joe Biden.
Ms. Jackson’s nomination is a fulfillment of President Biden’s promise during the 2020 campaign that he would nominate a black woman to the Supreme Court. This in turn led to James Clayburn being approved by a majority in the House of Representatives, which many see as a catalyst for his victory in the South Carolina primary, which elevated him to the Democratic nomination for president.
President Biden and Judge Jackson are celebrating her confirmation at the White House
(AP)
Only three Republican senators – Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Markowski of Alaska – joined each Democrat to vote in favor. Many Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, such as senior member Chuck Grassley and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, have reiterated hurt feelings about previous confirmations, including Supreme Court Justice Brett Cavanaugh and failed candidate Robert Bork.
Senate Democrats and supporters of the judge erupted in applause when her confirmation was announced.
“A new member of the Supreme Court is also obviously symbolic and it is significant that we have another African-American on the court,” Romney told The Independent.
Senator Amy Klobuchar said she was confident there would be Republican senators voting for her.
“I am very proud that three of our fellow Republicans, I have always said we will have bipartisan support, are joining us and she has done so well with this hearing that she will be able to come in with her head held high,” she said. .
Others, such as Senators Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, often teased her about her record in which she convicted people convicted of possessing child sexual images. These Republicans sought to portray her as a stranger who gave lenient sentences that differed from those of other court nominees.
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky further delayed her confirmation by appearing late in the vote, even after Ms. Jackson’s confirmation reached 53 votes.
But Democrats were largely unconcerned, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren cast her 51st vote to send Ms. Jackson to court.
“We will not allow Republicans to rain on this glorious day,” Ms. Warren said. “They couldn’t attack her because of her qualifications or her refereeing temperament, so they just came up with a bunch of things. So we won’t let a bunch of imaginary things take us down.
The event was attended by many members of the House’s Black Caucasus Congress, including Val Demings of Florida, Anthony Brown of Maryland, Yvette Clark of New York and Corey Bush of Missouri.
For Ms. Bush, the moment was a balance of controversy in America.
“We’ve had to wait too long,” she told The Independent. “It’s historic, monumental, and there are so many black girls who show up and know that ‘I can be this one day.’ But not only that, but, you know, I think about the fact that we’re celebrating the first black woman in 2022 in the US Supreme Court, the court that affects the whole country, it’s sad that this is the first, but I’m excited and I’m emotional, so I don’t have many words. ”
Ms. Bush was also pleased with Ms. Jackson’s achievements as a former public defender.
“We need that, someone from the earth,” she said. “Someone who understands that he has registered to work for the people who have the greatest needs.”
There are currently no black women serving in the United States Senate. This year, Ms. Demings is organizing a long-running series against Senator Marco Rubio.
“America has shown its best in Judge Brown Jackson, and all of us, regardless of skin color or gender, should celebrate this moment,” Ms Demings said. “I think it will bring the much-needed perspective to the country’s highest court.
Ms. Demings also criticized the way Republicans treated Ms. Jackson during her confirmation hearings.
“And when America does its best, I would ask the senators who treated it like the worst in America to consider whether it is their daughter sitting there,” she said. “By presenting the best of America, would they like their daughter to be treated in such a disrespectful way.
Similarly, former North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Cherry Beasley is also running in North Carolina to replace retired Republican Sen. Richard Burr.
Mr Warnock, who became the first black Democrat to be elected from the South when he won his race in Georgia last January, said he was confident there would be black women senators in the future.
“We have some excellent black women candidates,” he said. “I know them both.”
Add Comment