RACISM IN POLITICS

On the Inquisition of America's First Black Woman Supreme Court Nominee

The more they accuse Ketanji Brown Jackson of misconduct, the more they expose their racist intentions

Dr. Allison Wiltz
GEN
Published in
6 min readMar 23, 2022

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Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson | Photo Credit | Jacquelyn Martin| Associated Press

Soon, Ketanji Brown Jackson will be confirmed as America's first Black woman Supreme Court Justice. And given the support of the Democratic Party, Republicans cannot stop her ascension. But that hasn't stopped conservative White senators from throwing a series of baseless critiques against the wall to see what could stick.

The American Bar Association called Jackson "well qualified," giving her their highest ranking, based on her "qualities of integrity, professional competence, and judicial temperament." Yet, conservatives tried to portray Jackson as "soft on crime," criticizing her work as a federal public defender and accusing her of using Critical Race Theory in sentencing decisions.

Their line of questioning felt more like an inquisition than a traditional senate confirmation hearing. White senators continuously asked Ketanji Brown Jackson to describe her faith and disavow Critical Race Theory and other literature from Black scholars, like Ibram X. Kendi and Nikole Hannah-Jones. They might as well have asked Jackson, "Do you denounce Black…

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Published in GEN

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Dr. Allison Wiltz
Dr. Allison Wiltz

Written by Dr. Allison Wiltz

Black womanist scholar with a PhD from New Orleans, LA with bylines in Oprah Daily, Momentum, ZORA, Cultured. #WEOC Founder

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