Congratulations on your nomination to become a Justice of the United States Supreme Court. There is no higher honor our nation can bestow on an attorney and judge. And there is no one more deserving of that honor than you. I cannot say it better than Senator Booker did yesterday; you have earned this appointment in every single way. (Readers: if you want to be uplifted – take the time to watch Senator Booker’s statement to Judge Jackson). I am so proud that I live in a nation that in my lifetime has come so far, from Jim Crow Laws to the nomination of a Black woman to the Supreme Court. We are, in Madison’s words, becoming “more perfect”.
And I guess it should come as no surprise that that “perfecting” process generates opposition and even hate. We saw it in sports, from Jesse Owens to Jackie Robinson, Mohammad Ali to Hank Aaron. As each changed the world for the better, they were confronted by hate along the way. They were transformative figures in American history. So are you.
What really bothers me though, is the “jack-assery”, as Republican Senator Ben Sasse put it. There are several Senators who have tried to make your nomination hearing a stage for their political future, or use it for retribution for perceived “wrongs” of the Trump years. In doing so they had to search for some “flaws” to attack. They tried to make it sound like you don’t “care” about child pornography, as if they were against it but you were somehow in favor. Of course, that’s not true. You handled their blatant grandstanding with poise and grace and patience beyond belief.
I don’t speak for the “American people”, I just speak for this one citizen. But as a citizen of the United States, I apologize. What should be a legitimate exploration of legal views, became a spectacle for political gain. I am embarrassed for our country that you (and we) were put through that “jack-assery”. And even in that, I am also so proud of your courage to sit through it all. A lesser person would have “taken the bait” and tried to lash back.
I’m sure you look forward to the end of the hearing process. I am excited to see your hand raised, swearing once again to “…support and defend the Constitution”, and to “…administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and rich…”. And even more, I look forward to seeing your work on the Court, in the majority and minority. Your opinions will add a whole new texture to the American legal process.
Recently there have been times when it was easy to not love America. But you: your career, your legal acumen, and your potential to add to our Nation’s History; reaffirms our reason to love America. Thank you for your service, and congratulations again.
