The U.S. Senate confirmation hearings last week were a historic moment—just for all the wrong reasons.
Watching the questioning of nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to become the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court should have been a thoughtful examination of her record, with members of each party exploring her professional and life experiences to see if she was deserving of receiving a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land.
Instead what Americans were subject to was the continued legitimizing voices of extremists in the Republican party that is now their mainstream.
Let us declare here raising critical race theory in a law setting and Brown Jackson’s sentencing for child sex offenders are legitimate issues. And the answers provided by the Judge were worthy of follow ups.
But returning to the topic over and over again by Senators such as Ted Cruz, Marsha Blackburn, Josh Howley and Lindsay Graham felt more like warm ups for their Fox News hit that night rather than truly attempting to understand the judicial mind of Brown Jackson. Their performance—and that’s what it was—were aimed at those who think Jackson Brown was picked solely based on the color of her skin and not the content of her character and ability.
Cruz, as always, deserves a special heaping of scorn. Taking time out from monitoring his mentions on social media, the Texas senator made an issue of Brown Jackson serving on the board of Georgetown Day that was “filled and overflowing with critical race theory” as part of its anti racism efforts. It was later revealed the elite private schools where Cruz’s daughters are students have advocated a similar anti racism curriculum.
The irony of all of the political theater is the battle for the direction of the Supreme Court has been won by the GOP. Serving on the bench are five reliable conservative voters—Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett—that will shape laws such as abortion rights in the near future.
The nomination hearings have increasingly been more about performance than assessing the nominees character and ability. Dems, after the stonewalling of the Merrick Garland nomination, have acted in a similar manner—especially with Kavanaugh. GOP complaints go back all the way to the unsuccessful nomination of Robert Bork in 1987.
New Jersey should be proud that Sen. Cory Booker, as the only Black member of the committee, was able to remind us of the historic moment that we are in should be celebrated.
“You have earned this spot. You are worthy. You are a great American,” said Booker as Brown Jackson dabbed away at tears. “This country gets better and better and better. When that final vote happens, and you ascend onto the highest court in the land, I’m going to rejoice. And I’m going to tell you right now, the greatest country in the world, the United States of America, will be better because of you.”
It was not only Democrats that showed the decorum and decency expected of U.S. Senators. An example of someone who used his time well was Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE). Sasse asked and listened to Brown Jackson’s judicial philosophy in a way that differs from his in a respectful way, on issues including free speech on campus as well his insightful comments about cameras in the court.
“Cameras change human behavior,” he said. “I think we should recognize that the jackassery we often see around here is partly because of people mugging for short-term camera opportunities.”
The spotlight this week should have shone on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and her record in the examination of this historic nomination. But too often it reminded us of another Senate hearing—Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s hunt for communists in 1954—where thirsty Senators wanted the moment to be about them.
The four days of Senate hearings were democracy in action. Too bad the headliners were those seeking the spotlight for themselves.
Ted Cancun is an awful human being, Lindsey Graham’s meltdown was entertaining. Comparing this disgusting display about nothing with credible evidence that needed discussion about a black out drunk’s possible assault was pitiful. This nominee has an unblemished record that was distorted beyond recognition in an attempt to charge up the Qanon lunatics. Johnson has support from conservative judges and law enforcement. The GOP clown show continues.
Yet again, the hard right embarasses itself to everyone but their hardcore base. Yet again, those awful hard right inquisitors look like the hideous Joe McCarthy debacle of 1954 (some of which I watched as an 8-year-old who could already smell the phony patriotism through the TV). Yet again, Sen. Booker makes me proud to be a New Jersayan. And yet again, if one looks at Judge Jackson’s impeccable resume without knowing what the person it belongs to looked like, her confirmation would be a slam-dunk. But golly, why pass up an opportunity to solidify the hard right’s bigotry when there’s an election coming up where they can use it to score points with their base? And will that base succumb to their fear and loathing again? We indeed live in perilous times.
“Their performance—and that’s what it was—were aimed at those who think Jackson Brown was picked solely based on the color of her skin and not the content of her character and ability.”
Unfortunately, President Biden made the color of her skin (and her sex) THE issues when he promised to nominate not just the best qualified jurist but the best qualified black female jurist. You stop racism and sexism not by being racist and sexist but by ignoring race and sex as important criteria. If President Biden can be racist and sexist in his Supreme Court nominations, then anyone can be racist and sexist. Is that what we want? Judge Brown’s nomination serves to promote racism and sexism and that is unfortunate, if not unforgivable. She will always have an asterisk next to her name and it is a shame.
One thing that I find more and more valuable these days is a finely-tuned BS detector. People are up in arms about the questions being asked of this SCOTUS nominee. Where were these people when certain ‘leaders’ were accusing nominees of criminal behavior? But of course that was ok, because the ‘leaders’ disagreed with the nominee. Do you hear that sound? The BS alarm? Get over it. We did.
Once the double standard of the North Jersey leftist wrag rears its ugly head. While I agree that several Republican senators should have prepared better questions for Judge Jackson to answer, the behavior of democrat senators during the hearings if Judges Cavanuagh and Coney-Barrett were nothing short of disgusting. Booker makes it sound like he was a poor kid raised in Newark and has risen to his position because of that. Perhaps people need to remember the Bergen County (Haworth -Upper Middle class town) where he was raised. He’s a blue blood plain and simple. Spartacus broke the law and now wants us to feel his pain with his crocodile tears…what a fraud. Simple answer here is…Is the nominee the best candidate. I guess we will never know. She’s dedicated her adult life to the law. Let’s judge her on her record instead of Biden using her as a apolitical pawn.
Really? I’m a fan of his but that outright “fanboying” and recognition-seeking grandstand was extremely cringey.
And the left treated Brett Cavanaugh like a gentleman
This questioning is tame compared to Brett Kavanugh hearings
I wonder what the opinion writer felt about the Bret Kavanaugh hearings??? Or the Justice Alito hearings when Ted Kennedy made a fool of himself yet again? Funny when the roles are reversed how the far-left attacks. I was impressed with Cory Bookers crocodile tears.
Any person who can’t provide an answer to a simple question(Can you define what is a woman is?) is NOT qualified to sit on the Supreme Court. I would not hire her for an entry level job at my company.
I’m glad you have at least a vague memory of the Bork and Kavanaugh hearings. I certainly remember them. I also vividly remember Thomas and Barrett’s.
Jackson Brown is a singer songwriter and a damn good one at that. He has never been nominated to the Supreme Court. Your arguments can’t be taken seriously when you can’t even get the nominee’s name right. By the way the last president vowed to name a women to the court before nominating a far less qualified women than judge Brown Jackson. No one complained about it then. Could it be there are hypocrites in the Republican Party.
YO; YO! LISTEN-UP!! NOW; When will American’s EVER LEARN; That Life Long JOB’S, BREED Corruption’s & Disasters for’n People & their Country!! All it takes is for’n GREED, GRAFT & Those 0ff Shore Island Breezes Harboring Insane Account’s to 0VER-TURN the tables in any Election, People’s Rites & Freedom’s Issues!! AFTER ALL; These are People having Human Faults, Desire’s & prone to GREED!! Therefore are ALL Corruptible!! S0; It’s Imperative that all these Life Time Job’s G0-the way of 0ur Presidency; A TWO-TERM-LIMIT’S!! AND; This TWO-TERM-LIMIT’S should Also be Applied to 0ur Senate & Congress as well.. Then maybe Lobbyist’s will Loose their Controls 0ver-0ur GOV’T>>!! BE Careful NOW!! Just Saying; The People have Had Enough..//
Anyone who claims to be incapable of defining what a “woman” is shouldn’t be appointed dog catcher, much less to the highest court of the land. The fact that people on this forum are defending this lunatic is disconcerting to say the least.