2 years ago
Flanked by two historic firsts, President Joe Biden on Friday underscored the significance of fulfilling his campaign promise to confirm the first Black woman to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Biden, speaking on the White House’s South Lawn to celebrate Kentanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation to the nation’s highest court, leaned into what the incoming, barrier-breaking justice means for women, particularly young Black women, across the country. He spoke as Vice President Kamala Harris stood on his right, and Jackson on his left.
“Look, it’s a powerful thing when people can see themselves in others. Think about that,” Biden said. “It’s a powerful, powerful, powerful notion. And that’s one of the reasons I so strongly believed we needed a court that looks like America.”
The White House celebration comes after the Senate voted on Thursday to confirm Jackson in a 53-47 vote to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court. Biden praised Jackson for her restraint as she faced tough, and at times confrontational, questioning from Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee — interrogation that the president said amounted to “verbal abuse.” And Biden thanked Republican Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska for “setting aside partisanship” and voting to confirm his nominee.
Jackson, who spoke after Biden, recounted some of her confirmation process, noting that she met with 97 of the sitting senators and had “deeply engaging conversations about her approach to judging.” She talked about her love for the United States and the Constitution, touching on her career in public service and what her elevation to the Supreme Court bench means for the country.
“It has taken 232 years and 115 prior appointments for a Black woman to be selected to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. But we’ve made it,” Jackson said to applause. “We’ve made it. All of us.”
Jackson spent most of her speech thanking everyone from Biden and Harris to lawmakers, mentors and friends. Jackson praised her confirmation sherpa, former Alabama Sen. Doug Jones, as “an absolute godsend” for his guidance throughout the process.
Jackson wiped her tears as she thanked her parents, her husband, her daughters and other family members who were present at the White House to watch her speak. And she commended Breyer, for whom she clerked for as a young lawyer, for his “commitment to an independent, impartial judiciary.”
“I am daunted by the prospect of having to follow in his footsteps, and I would count myself lucky indeed to be able to do so with even the smallest amount of his wisdom, grace and joy,” she said.
Biden used the event to highlight other historic firsts in administration, from the Black women in his Cabinet to the vice president, the first woman and first Black person to hold that office and who the president said was the “first really smart decision he made in this administration.” He touted the record-breaking number of Black women judges he’s nominated to federal courts, and that he’s spent a lot of time thinking about today and what it would mean for the nation.
“I could see it as a day of hope, a day of promise, a day of progress. A day when once again the moral arc of the universe, as Barack used to quote all the time, bends a little more toward justice,” Biden said, recalling a favorite quote of former President Barack Obama.
The president at one point looked into the crowd and asked an 11-year-old girl to stand up. He said Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) introduced the girl to Jackson to during the hearings, and that the young girl too wants to be a Supreme Court justice. Jackson acknowledged the impact her appointment has had and will continue to have on young Americans.
“Our children are telling me that they see now more than ever that here in America anything is possible,” Jackson said. “They also tell me that I'm a role model, which I take both as an opportunity and as a huge responsibility.”
Harris told the crowd Jackson’s confirmation happened in “great part” because of Biden’s vision for America and said she will “inspire future generations of leaders.” She said Jackson was an “inspiration” to future generations.
While presiding over the Senate confirmation vote on Thursday, Harris said she wrote a letter to her goddaughter. She said she also asked Democratic Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Raphael Warnock of Georgia to write a letter to a young Black woman in their life.
“I told [my goddaughter] that I felt such a deep sense of pride and joy, and about what this moment means for our nation and for her future,” Harris said, then turning back to Jackson. “And I will tell you, her braids are just a little longer than yours. But as I wrote to her, I told her what I knew this would mean for her life and all that she has in terms of potential.”
While Jackson’s elevation to the nation's highest court does little to change its ideological balance, court-watchers suggest her opinions will be worth watching. Her perspective as a Black woman and former public defender will bring new perspectives to the court — potentially holding sway with some of her colleagues. Biden on Friday praised these qualifications, noting what her resume could mean for the future of the court.
“A federal judge who has served on the second most powerful court in America, behind the Supreme Court. A former federal public defender with the ability to explain complicated issues in the law in ways everybody, all people can understand. A new perspective,” Biden said.
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