Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025

Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearing is a disgrace to her qualifications

Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearing is a disgrace to her qualifications

The bad faith questions, the baseless accusations, the time wasting – Brown Jackson’s interrogators do not see her as an equal
What should have been a historic moment for the first Black woman to be nominated to the US supreme court, has become a scene of childish political theatre, thanks to Senate Republicans. And as President Joe Biden’s nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson makes her way through the last round of questioning by the Senate judiciary committee, one thing is clear: she deserves better.

As the world watches the hearings unfold, the image from day one of Brown Jackson being grilled relentlessly by a group of old white men still sticks out vividly to me. Not only is she already being held up to far more scrutiny than any white man in her position would be, but the line of questioning from across the aisle has devolved into the absolutely ridiculous.

Picture this: a successful attorney and judge with a decade on the bench and more judicial experience than 43 of the last 58 justices who took the bench, being questioned on whether or not she knows what a “woman” is, and whether or not babies are racist. Brown Jackson was also asked whether she is an “activist judge”, implying that she could come into the role with her own political and presumably racial agenda, and questioned about her faith.

Every Black woman on earth can relate to the cringing, soul-crushing feeling of having to answer – with grace and a smile – questions that your white counterparts would never be asked. And Brown Jackson is no exception, as she’s held her composure in the face of intense and often ludicrous lines of inquiry.

But even if she was able to navigate the absurd queries and gotcha questions designed to trip her up, Republicans had another strategy; outrightly discrediting her, including an accusation from Senator Josh Hawley that she “has a pattern of letting child porn offenders off the hook” (that claim that was quickly disproven).

In one of the more absurd turns on the first day, Republicans also made sure to center themselves, by calling back to current justice Brett Kavanaugh’s contentious 2018 hearings and “assuring” Brown Jackson that she wouldn’t get the same treatment. “You’re the beneficiary of Republican nominees having their lives turned upside down,” said the South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham. “Most of us couldn’t go back to our offices during Kavanaugh without getting spit on.” The Texas senator Ted Cruz also promised her that her “dating habits” wouldn’t be scrutinized either (because what is the Republican party if not the picture of graciousness and integrity, right?).

The pushback here is obvious – Brown Jackson hasn’t been credibly accused of sexual misconduct, so why would she be queried in the same way? Still, it’s impossible to overstate just how terrible the optics of this are. Using a Black woman’s confirmation hearing as an opportunity to martyrise a white man accused of sexual assault is objectively horrible. But as Paul Waldman notes in the Washington Post, the move wasn’t just an embarrassing new low for the party, it was another intentional gesture. The sense of victimhood they are invoking through Kavanaugh is a sentiment that has tied the Republican party to its base, and one that will no doubt help secure continued support for them.

All of it – the bad faith questions, the baseless accusations, the time wasting – makes it clear that Brown Jackson’s interrogators do not see her as an equal, and are determined to undermine her however they can. And despite being promised a “respectful” hearing, Brown Jackson was met with and forced into the middle of old political squabbles.

Still, the hearings are just one small part of this. And if Brown Jackson is confirmed (which will most likely be the case), her appointment will no doubt pave new paths for people who look like her, paths that will hopefully be much smoother than the one she had to take.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
×