Ketanji Brown Jackson: First Black Woman on the US Supreme Court
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
In March 2022 Ketanji Brown Jackson sat before a microphone ready to answer questions from US senators She knew they wanted to find out more about her She'd been nominated for the US Supreme Court the highest court in the nation and they wanted to be sure she was the right person for the job Jackson had spent much of her career as a judge She might have expected questions about previous cases she'd ruled on and how she approached applying the law But Republican senator Ted Cruz sat with a stack of children's books next to him He flipped through the pages of a book called Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi Cruz quoted aloud from several pages Cruz said that the book was being taught at a private school in Washington DC where Jackson was a board member and where one of her
Jackson Jackson answers a question during her confirmation hearing in Washington DC on March 21 2022 daughters was a student Cruz said the book's premise stated that babies are racist and he asked Jackson if she agreed with that premise Cruz was trying to prove that Jackson supported teaching critical race theory that racism is a part of US history Many Republicans had spoken out against it If Cruz could get Jackson to say she supported it then he and other Republicans could declare she was not qualified for the Supreme Court
Jackson sighed and paused for a moment The question had little to do with her work as a lawyer and a judge or what she might bring to the Supreme Court It didn't have a connection to her position as a school board member either She had no control over the school's curriculum But she knew she had to answer honestly and keep her cool She leaned toward the microphone I do not believe that any child should be made to feel as though they are racist or though they are not valued or though they are less than that they are victims that they are oppressors she said calmly I don't believe in any of that Senator Ted Cruz of Texas brought pages of Antiracist Baby to display while questioning Jackson
