[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 61 (Wednesday, April 6, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S1993]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                  Nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson

  Mr. President, on SCOTUS, the U.S. Senate, happily, wonderfully, is 
on the brink of completing one of the most important responsibilities 
entrusted to it under the Constitution: consenting to the President's 
nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. As I said, happily and wonderfully, 
it will be the first African-American woman to ever serve on that 
august body.
  Any time the Senate elevates someone to the highest pinnacles of the 
Federal judiciary, the impact literally lasts a lifetime and, often, 
far beyond that. The men and women who sit on the Supreme Court have 
the power to render judgment on any question they see fit that comes 
before them. The consequences of their decisions are seen and felt and 
reckoned with from here to the farthest corners of our country. So 
confirming a Supreme Court nominee is, in other words, a big deal to 
the Senate--one of the biggest deals, in fact. And, before the week is 
out, the Chamber is set to follow through, once again, on this august 
and awesome responsibility.
  But, of course, even though this is one of the biggest deals for the 
Senate to do in any situation, it is even a bigger deal now. This time 
is different. The nominee, the 116th Justice, is different in some 
important ways than those who came before.
  Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, like many before her, is brilliant, 
accomplished, and qualified to be on the Court, but never--never 
before--has the Supreme Court had a Black woman bear the title of 
Justice. She will be the first, and I have no doubt, in my mind, that 
she will pave the way for others in the future.
  The exultation among so many who have waited for this moment--of 
young girls throughout America who may say, ``I can do this, too''; the 
untapped potential even for young people, particularly women of color, 
who are not interested in the law or in the Supreme Court but who say, 
``I can go somewhere; I can do something; I can get there''--is going 
to be great for America.
  There are many considerations that the Senate should ponder when we 
are faced with the question of confirming judges. Diversity and 
representation is certainly one of them. It is a key feature of a 
healthy and vibrant democracy. When Americans of all walks of life come 
before the court, of course they should have confidence that those who 
don the robes have the ability to walk in their own shoes--to see and 
understand their sides of the story.
  That is why diversity of background and experience has been one of 
the most important priorities in the Senate as we have confirmed the 
President's judges, and over the last year, as has been noted, we have 
made incredible progress on that front.
  Of the 58 Senate-confirmed judges, three-quarters have been women, 
and two-thirds have been people of color. To be clear, these judges are 
diverse not just through their backgrounds but in their experiences. 
More public defenders, more civil rights attorneys, more nonprofit 
lawyers have been added to the Federal bench.
  After years of the previous administration's confirming judges who 
were disproportionately White, disproportionately male, 
disproportionately from big law firms, Senate Democrats are working to 
bring balance back to our judiciary. It will make our democracy 
healthier, fairer, and stronger.
  As the country grows increasingly diverse in this century, Judge 
Jackson's confirmation will be a major step toward achieving that goal, 
and I so look forward to finishing the work to confirm this most 
qualified, most deserving, most historic nominee.