Let’s cut right to the chase. The thought of a Black female justice on the US Supreme Court has caused a veritable conniption fit among conservatives — and they’re blowing the dog whistle to halt the nomination at all cost.
Politics
Confirmation hearings in the US Senate have begun for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Biden’s pick to replace retiring justice Stephen Breyer and the person who could become the first Black female justice in Supreme Court history. The very thought of a Black woman even being nominated to the nation’s highest court is historic, yet some Republicans are chomping at the bit to take this would-be Black female justice down in a thinly-veiled attack against her race.
Before a single second of questioning even occurred in Judge Jackson’s 4-day confirmation hearing, Republican lawmakers were already making it clear of their intention to vote NO to elevate her to the Supreme Court. This, despite the fact that these same Republicans voted to support her ascension to lower courts in very recent years — including vice-chair of the United States Sentencing Commission and the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
If she was qualified enough to sit on the US District Court, then how can the GOP justify her NOT being qualified to sit on the US Supreme Court??
Over the past several days, Republicans have intensified their attacks against Judge Jackson, while simultaneously walking a tight rope to avoid the political backlash of a racial spectacle on the Senate floor. Sadly (for them), their tactics aren’t working and no one is being fooled!
After throwing a tantrum when President Biden didn’t select Judge J. Michelle Childs as his choice for the Supreme Court, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is now preparing to get even with Democrats and use Judge Jackson’s confirmation hearing to settle old scores over what he calls “bad treatment” of now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
However, other GOP leaders are being more explicit in their opposition.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has settled on an excuse to denounce Judge Jackson by suggesting that her experience as a public defender (read: defender of poor Black people) might influence her view of the law and lead her to favor criminal defendants.
“Her supporters look at her résumé and deduce a special empathy for criminals,” McConnell said during a lengthy Senate floor speech. He went on to argue that her work on behalf of the accused was a blot on her record. “I guess that means that government prosecutors and innocent crime victims start each trial at a disadvantage.”
Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee made headlines on Monday when she asked Judge Jackson “Is it your personal hidden agenda to incorporate Critical Race Theory into our legal system?”
Blackburn: Is it your personal hidden agenda to incorporate CRT into our legal system? pic.twitter.com/V0x3xd8EEr
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 21, 2022
However, Sen. Josh Howley of Missouri wins the GOP Grand Prize in the concerted attempt to derail Judge Jackson.
According to The New York Times, Hawley has introduced a detailed takedown of Jackson’s record on sex crimes by falsely claiming that she has argued that certain child pornography offenders are “less serious.” Or, to put it bluntly, Hawley is saying if America allows this Black female justice on the US Supreme Court, sex crimes against children will go unpunished.
His argument was seen as not only petty and pathetic, but it prompted credible journalists to quickly denounce his tactics.
On Monday, MSNBC commentator Steve Benen pointed out how presumed 2024 presidential candidate Hawley’s attacks have already backfired on him.
“The GOP senator’s line of attack did not go unnoticed, but fact-checkers quickly dismantled Hawley’s nonsense. The Associated Press said the senator’s claims ‘don’t stand up to scrutiny.’ Fact-check reports from the Washington Post and CNN came to the same conclusion,” Benen said. “Others were even more direct in their denunciations. Vox’s Ian Millhiser described Hawley’s attempted smear [as] ‘genuinely nauseating.’ In National Review, a leading conservative publication, Andrew McCarthy concluded that Hawley’s allegation ‘appears meritless to the point of demagoguery.'”
All of this is “beclowning” not just Hawley but the entire Republican Party, Benen added.
“In reality, it’s rather easy to defend the ways in which Democratic senators handled the credible allegations surrounding [Clarence] Thomas and [Brett] Kavanaugh. But putting that aside, the assurances about the GOP staying away from ‘the gutter’ and approaching Jackson’s nomination in a ‘respectable’ way look ridiculous in the wake of Sen. Josh Hawley’s attempted smear.”
For the record, The White House and Senate Democrats have pushed back against Hawley’s claims, accusing him of “intentionally disseminating misleading information and taking material out of context to paint a distorted picture of Judge Jackson’s record.”
However, anyone with a brain knows what this takedown of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is all about. Conservatives are sounding (and answering) the dog whistle to prevent a Black female justice from making it to the US Supreme Court.
OK WASSUP! discusses Politics:
Black female justice nominee meets GOP dog whistle.
If she was qualified enough to sit on the US District Court, then how can the GOP justify her NOT being qualified to sit on the US Supreme Court?? […] – DJ
That can’t justify it and they know it!
But very insecure, White racists are gonna do what very insecure, White racists are gonna do.
They can’t help themselves!