| Dear Friend, Fantastic news: President Joe Biden has just nominated D.C. Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court! Judge Jackson will be the first Black woman on the highest court in the land. She previously worked as a public defender and has spent her career speaking up for deeply impacted populations. Retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer has described her as “brilliant,” and she’s going to make a stellar member of the court.(1) Her nomination means we have the opportunity to have a Supreme Court that better reflects the United States. However, Judge Jackson’s confirmation is anything but assured -- Republicans are already running blockades against Biden’s nominations to federal agencies and are threatening to do the same to the Supreme Court nominee.(2) We are calling on Senate Democrats to do everything in their power to seat Judge Jackson. Judge Jackson has a rockstar resume: federal appeals court judge, federal trial judge, public defender, Supreme Court clerk under Justice Breyer, Harvard Law.(3) During her career, she helped defend a U.S. detainee in Guantanamo Bay against being held without charge. She reduced recommended sentences for nonviolent offenders. And as a judge, she stopped Donald Trump from withholding records from the House January 6 committee.(4) Having a public defender on the Supreme Court would be a huge win for human rights, and we need to ensure Jackson is confirmed quickly. But the current Republican caucus in the Senate has made a practice of blocking Biden’s nominees. Republican senators have even begun boycotting committees overseeing nominations to the FTC, FCC, and Federal Reserve so that candidates can’t get to the floor for a vote. Senator Thom Tillis has said they plan to use the same tactics if they perceive Biden’s Supreme Court nominee to be “controversial” -- which they very well might consider a Black former public defender to be.(5) And senators including Susan Collins are already talking about slowing down the process, which could delay the vote until after the midterms, when Democrats may no longer hold a majority.(6) We need our senators to know they must use every tool at their disposal to ensure Biden’s nominee is confirmed. Will you sign our petition? Tell your senators that you want Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmed right away! Yours in the fight for justice, Irene, along with Amber, Angela, Annie, Isidra, Jay, Lindsay, LisaMarie, Raquel, and Scottie (the Courage team) Footnotes:  |
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