In the four years former President Trump was in office, he appointed a disproportionately larger number of federal judges than his recent predecessors, several who were deemed unqualified to serve on the federal bench. Trump managed to seat three justices to the U.S. Supreme Court. These justices were seated through unprecedented processes that disregarded formerly set protocols and resulted in a 6-3 conservative Supreme Court majority. [1] Equity and equality from all levels of government have continued to erode at a fast pace.

We need look no further than the white supremacist insurrection at the Capitol over the presidential election results. More supportive evidence is found in the way school officials are disregarding their established policies and outright banning books with race, gender, and sexuality themes. [2] Then we can examine how there are state legislatures passing laws banning the accurate teaching of history at all levels of education. [3] They are also responsible for the recent uptick in voter suppression laws sweeping the country that are more obvious than those historically practiced and outlawed by the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  [4] We are not-so-patiently waiting to learn if half the population will directly, and the other half indirectly, lose bodily autonomy with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the nearly 50-year court precedent affirming abortion as a constitutional right. This list could go on, but for brevity’s sake I’ll get to the point: White patriarchal supremacists are leaving established democratic principles behind as they work within every power structure to fortify their total domination. Thus, those of us committed to social justice, and reproductive justice particularly, must resist these attempts within every power structure.

Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement from the Supreme Court gives us an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to social and reproductive justice within the highest court of this country. President Biden’s nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was a key step in the fulfillment of that commitment. Her swift confirmation is the next.

As previously stated, white patriarchal supremacy and democracy cannot coexist because upholding white patriarchal supremacy means prioritizing it before and at the expense of the health and wellbeing of everyone and everything, but especially our democracy. With the desecration of our choices, input, and rights in every sphere of life, comes the desecration of our democracy. Judge Jackson’s case history indicates she comprehends how this works, which is imperative in our current political context. [5]

We need leaders whose identities and lived experiences reflect the populations they serve. We need leaders who will not downplay the opposition’s willingness to ignore policy and procedure. We need leaders who will not keep failing to hold white patriarchal supremacists accountable. We must champion leaders with integrity who value critical inquiry and accountability; leaders who can and do lead by example. By confirming Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, we get a leader who helps us check all these boxes while holding us all to a higher political standard.

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Sources:

1. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/01/13/how-trump-compares-with-other-recent-presidents-in-appointing-federal-judges/
2. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-books-race-sexuality-schools-rcna13886?fbclid=IwAR0MLsUPRlMlWJ-xZGRX8MtXpyignMinahMuiCXuH4YFBR2XFe-ck83m5cQ
3. https://www.npr.org/2022/02/03/1077878538/legislation-restricts-what-teachers-can-discuss
4. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/voting-laws-roundup-october-2021
5. https://empiricalscotus.com/2022/02/16/ketanji-brown-jackson-decision-dataset/