A moment of jubilation
The appointment of Judge Katenji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court gives us reason to celebrate in the midst of difficulty and distress.
Dear friends:
This week, in the midst of devastating news of violence against Ukrainian people, distressing news of the involvement of leaders in attempts to overthrow democracy at home, and deeply frustrating news of state laws targeting groups perceived as “different,” one beautiful bright moment shone out:
The confirmation of Justice Katenji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court.
It’s difficult to be unreservedly “proud” of this first appointment of a Black woman to the court, given the despicable show of ignorance and racialized attacks on her during the confirmation process (and after). Compare Judge Brown Jackson’s demeanor under these attacks to Justice Kavanaugh, and see both pride and privilege in action. Can anyone seriously doubt that if Judge Jackson had yelled at the Senate, or insisted they would “reap the whirlwind” as a result of their nasty remarks toward her, her nomination would have been over?
This appointment is long overdue: we all yearn for a time when the gifts of all folks are welcome in all walks of life, when we look back with nostalgia for all the “firsts.” And the Supreme Court will still be heavily skewed to the 6 “originalists” who uphold the view that the Constitution does not protect most civil and human rights.
Still, it is worthy of jubilation, as Senator Cory Booker predicted. In fact, it seems terribly important to amplify his voice, and the voices he represents, this week.
One amazing timeline: Justice Jackson was born in 1970, one year after the first Black justice (Thurgood Marshall) was nominated to the court. Many members of her parents’ generation grew up in legal segregation, and she is now poised to join the highest court in the land.
The vote to support her nomination to the court was called by Vice President Kamala Harris. As journalist Charles Blow wrote in the New York Times:
There, in a room encircled by the busts of the first vice presidents — white men, some enslavers — carved from white marble, Jackson’s confirmation was announced by the first vice president who is neither white nor male.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/08/opinion/cory-booker-ketanji-brown-jackson.html
A bright moment, a reason for joy and jubilation, indeed.
Be safe and well, dear ones.