Judge Ketanji Jackson:You are so worthy!!!
By Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ)
For the past three days, I’ve had the extraordinary privilege of being a part of the historic nomination hearings for the next Supreme Court Justice, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Facing ridiculous questions from my Republican colleagues she has met every challenge, and thoroughly answered every query.
But, I don’t want to focus on partisan attacks. Instead I want to share with you what I shared with Judge Jackson last night. In the entire nearly 250-year history of our country there have been 115 Supreme Court Justices, and Judge Jackson would become the first Black Woman. And she is so much more than just her race and gender – a parent, a daughter, a sister, a public defender, a judge.
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has earned this. She is worthy. She is a great American.
You see, Sandra, there is a love in this country that is extraordinary. In her testimony Judge Jackson admitted it about her parents. They love this nation, even though this country didn’t always love them back. There were laws in this country that would have prevented Judge Jackson from marrying her husband – just in the last generation. But that didn’t stop her, or her ancestors.
Her hero, Constance Baker Motley, the first Black woman ever appointed to the federal judiciary, faced extraordinary obstacles. When she came out of law school, law firms wouldn’t even hire her because she was a woman. Did she become bitter? Did she try to start a revolution? No, she used the very Constitution of this nation to lift all of us. She wanted America to be America. As Langston Hughes wrote:
“O, let America be America again – The land that never has been yet — And yet must be – the land where every man is free... I say it plain, America never was America to me, And yet I swear this oath – America will be!”
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and I are where we are because of generations who came before, who said to this country, “You may not love me yet, but I’m going to make this nation live up to its promise – its hope.” These past few days Judge Jackson has been the representation of that hope to me. And when Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson joins the highest court in the land, I’m going to rejoice because the greatest country in the world, the United States of America, will be better because of her.
Love,
Cory
