Jackson’s nomination vital for America

On Feb. 25, President Joe Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. Over recent days, we have watched as Republicans attempted to corner her on polarizing topics and question her professional background and capabilities. The circus which ensued during her hearing was none less than an indictment on party politics within this country, even to its own detriment.

To start, Jackson rises as one of the most credentialed and popular nominees to the Supreme Court. Her political and legal background is impeccable and she is highly qualified. Jackson graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University and then went to Harvard Law School where she served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review and graduated cum laude. She has served in a number of roles including as a public defender, vice chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and most recently as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Judge Jackson’s family members hold a number of positions in law enforcement in various locations across the United States.

In 2009, President Obama nominated Jackson to serve as the vice chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission. She was a previous member of this committee and her nomination garnered bipartisan support. Her goal for this commission was eliminate sentencing disparities and ensure that federal sentencing procedures were just, fair and equal. After serving on this commission for four years, she was nominated to the position of district court judge for the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. Again, her nomination was confirmed with bipartisan support.

How then, do we go from a twiceconfirmed judge to two appointments in D.C. to the circus that took place during Judge Jackson’s confirmation hearing? The proceedings during her confirmation hearing proved that many Republicans have no issue with Black women in power until they get too much power.

Some of the more outrageous questions that were leveled at her included Sen. Ted Cruz questioning whether she believed babies were racist. Some news outlets said these outrageous displays, particularly from Cruz, were opportunities for politicians to bolster their platforms towards the 2024 election.

Despite attacks on her sentencing records, her stance on child pornography, and her beliefs about critical race theory being questioned, Jackson remained cool, calm, collected throughout the hearing.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson represents an important opportunity for these United States of America. Her impeccable legal background, her experience as a federal court judge, her position as a public defender, and the many accolades in her professional background speak for themselves. It is apparent that politics in this country continue to focus on ways and means to divide the American people instead of unify us. Race relations in

America have continued to be tense, but it time that we allow our country to be represented by an important voice in the person of Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Part of the nature of this proceedings seem to be targeted towards Jackson in retaliation for how Republicans feel about the treatment of Brett Kavanaugh during his hearing. Although Judge Jackson remarked that she did not watch the proceedings, Sen. Lindsay Graham continued to push the issue before arguing that, “there is a double standard between the treatment of Republican nominees and those nominated by Democratic presidents.” This is obviously not the case if one was to examine that disrespect, dismissal and bullying that characterized Judge Jackson’s hearing.

Democratic Senator Cory Booker spoke about the proceedings in a recent interview with CNN and he stated, “I got a chance to witness firsthand what I think many people in America can relate to, is when you show up in a room qualified, when you show up in a room with extraordinary expertise and credentials, there are a lot of Americans who know that hurt, that you are still going to be treated in a way that does not respect to you fully.”

Like Booker, we too must stand to call political bullies to task. It is time that we take back an America that is “for the people” and this includes Black and brown people, as well!