'Justice Jackson persevered.' Dan Rather Weighs in on Historic Confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

07 Apr 2022

The U. S. Senate has just confirmed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. Jackson is the first Black female ever to be appointed to the nation’s highest bench. She was confirmed in a 53-47 vote and will be sworn in this summer after Justice Stephen Breyer retires.

“Judge Jackson’s confirmation was a historic moment for our nation,” President Biden posted on Twitter. “We’ve taken another step toward making our highest court reflect the diversity of America. She will be an incredible Justice, and I was honored to share this moment with her.”

Joining all 48 Democrats and two independents to give Jackson the green light were three Republicans: Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah.

The confirmation of Jackson has not been a smooth road for the judge on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for Washington, D.C. Throughout her confirmation hearing, she was portrayed as a liberal extremist and painted as being soft on child sexual abusers by many conservative Republicans. And yet, says APB speaker and legendary journalist Dan Rather, she held strong.

“Justice Jackson persevered,” Rather wrote, along with writer Elliot Kirschner, in his newsletter Steady. “And she did so in a way that should give us confidence as to what kind of justice she will be. In a court that has been highly politicized by the actions of Republicans in the Senate and the White House, her voice will represent a very different perspective: an America of diversity, of obstacles and opportunity, of the rule of law, of humility and of justice broadly defined.”

Rather and Kirschner added that Justice Jackson will bring a new voice to the court. “Her presence itself will not fix the myriad problems we face; our challenges defy easy answers or simple remedies,” they said. “But Justice Jackson personifies the hope that change is possible, that progress can be our path going forward. We celebrate her today as a unique legal mind and as someone whose service to this nation and its best traditions can give us a reason for new flickers of optimism. If she hasn’t given up on what America can be, then neither should we.”