CW: This e-mail contains brief quotations made by Republicans during Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearings, including racism.
Hi Kevin,
Meagan Hatcher-Mays here.
I wanted to take a second to talk to you about Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic confirmation hearings that took place this past week.
When asked (in this clip) by Sen. Padilla, “what would you say, Judge Jackson, to all those young Americans, the most diverse generation in our nation’s history? What do you say to some of them who may doubt that they can one day achieve the same great heights that you have?” Judge Jackson took her time, gathered herself, and replied, “I would tell them to persevere.”
For those who did not watch the hearings, you might not know how poignant those words were in that moment.
Judge Jackson is one of the most qualified candidates to ever be nominated for a seat on the Supreme Court, and yet we have never seen a nominee so thoroughly disrespected the way she was. Judge Jackson had to sit calmly as Sen. Marsha Blackburn accused her of endorsing “progressive indoctrination” and of having a “hidden agenda,” she had to tolerate Sen. Ted Cruz asking her “can I be Asian?” and whether or not babies are racist, and she was made to endure as Sen. Josh Hawley pursued lines of attack better suited for a QAnon message board than a Supreme Court confirmation hearing. It was repulsive.
We’ve seen this pattern before. It took 192 years for the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court and it has taken 232 years for a Black woman to even be nominated. We knew that the GOP would lean on a legacy of sexism and racism to paint Judge Jackson as an unqualified radical, but that didn’t make it any easier to watch.
Still, we find joy.
Along with Sen. Padilla, Sen. Cory Booker managed to be a port in the storm, reminding Judge Jackson that he would not allow the vile attacks from his Republican colleagues to steal his joy, “you have earned this spot. You are worthy. You are a great American.” (Watch the clip here, it is worth it, bring a tissue.) Sen. Booker was all of us in that moment — acknowledging the violence our country enacts on some, while remembering that our love for this country exists in defiance of that pain, buoyed by the fervent desire to force this country to live up to its ideals.
Judge Jackson sat through it all — poised, dignified, and brilliant. She took on the burden of being “the first” with a calm that belied the historic nature of the moment, and the virulent attacks by the right, in order to embody the definition of perseverance.
How do we honor that?
We find joy. We revel in her nomination and work to ensure her confirmation. We do not stop working until she is confirmed. If you have a Republican senator, click here right now to call and urge them to confirm Judge Jackson. We have already seen a few Republicans signal that they do not agree with the disrespectful attacks that have been waged on Judge Jackson, let’s make sure that they are all hearing from us. If your senator is a Democrat, click here to remind them that they have the power of the people behind them to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.
This week, Judge Jackson reminded us that, in the face of bigotry, division, and vitriol, we persevere. To persevere, we keep working. When we keep working, we win. Let’s make sure we win.
In solidarity,
Meagan Hatcher-Mays, Indivisible
Director of Democracy Policy
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