By congressional practice, the confirmation hearing for Ketanji Brown Jackson gave senators an opportunity to examine her fitness to sit on the Supreme Court. But Republicans on the Judiciary Committee seized it to peddle conspiracies and pander to the MAGA kooks who now compose the base of their party.
Jackson wrote over 570 opinions during her ten years as a judge and represented all kinds of unsavory characters, including a Guantánamo Bay detainee, during her two years as a public defender. Therefore, senators had considerable grist for the mill to examine her fitness.
Yet most Republicans spent 99 percent of their time badgering Jackson about the sentences she handed down in fewer than 10 cases. This was a venal, mean-spirited, and orchestrated attempt to paint her as soft on child pornographers.
Democrats continually pointed out that her sentences in those cases were consistent with those handed down by the vast majority of other judges, including those appointed by Republicans. It did not matter.
The notable exception among Republicans on the Committee was Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, who candidly called out his colleagues as “jackassery people mugging for the camera.”
Apropos of which, Sen. Ted Cruz made quite a point of highlighting that he and Jackson were classmates at Harvard Law School. Therefore, I wish Jackson had noted how badly it reflected on their alma mater that he reduced their exchange to gotcha questions on children’s books, which have nothing to do with her career or jurisprudence.
Like Cruz, Sen. Lindsey Graham clearly decided that the best way to at least appear relevant (i.e., get viral TV coverage) was to ape in the Senate the behavior Representatives Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene display in the House, respectively. And that behavior amounts to being as disruptive, obnoxious, and self-righteous as possible.
Only that explains the way Republicans behaved while questioning Jackson on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In what could only be classified as a full-blown temper tantrum, Lindsey Graham spent 20 minutes ranting, raving, and repeatedly interrupting Judge Jackson. Senate Republicans promised a “respectful” confirmation process, but in the last 24 hours, Republicans have completely broken that promise and demonstrated nothing but disrespect for a historic, eminently qualified nominee.
Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans promised a “respectful” confirmation process for Judge Jackson. In the last 24 hours, Republicans like Lindsey Graham, Tom Cotton, Josh Hawley, and Ted Cruz have completely broken this promise by interrupting Judge Jackson and attempting to smear her record with disgusting attacks that have no basis in fact or reality.
(DNC, March 23, 2022)
But, despite all that, the look on Jackson’s face kept radiating the words of Maya Angelou’s famous poem, ‘And Still I Rise’.
Even so, the irony was not lost on iPINIONS that Jackson had a lot to do with their increasingly unhinged behavior. Because, to them, it must have seemed like the more they tried to entrap and upset her, the more reasoned and serene she became. Which, in turn, only made them become more unhinged.
The unavoidable juxtaposition is this: Ketanji Brown Jackson held her nerve under bludgeonings of Republican “jackassery” about children’s books and child porn that had nothing to do with her. Brett Kavanaugh lost his under Democratic cross-examination about credible allegations of sexual assault against him.
In other words, Jackson displayed judicial temperament that showed why she is so eminently qualified to sit on the Supreme Court; whereas Kavanaugh displayed injudicial temperament that showed why he should have been disqualified on the spot.
Ultimately, though, the reason (white) men like Cruz and Graham behave the way they do is that, far from being punished, they are often rewarded for doing so: Exhibit A: Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Related commentaries:
Brett Kavanaugh… Ketanji Brown Jackson…
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