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Floor Speech
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Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise today to celebrate the confirmation of now Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as a Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States of America.
It is an important moment for our country but also a special moment for me because Angela, my wife, and two of our sons are here visiting the Capitol this week. They witnessed history in the making when we voted to confirm, just a few minutes ago, Justice Jackson. Angela and I take great joy in knowing that not just our three sons but young people across the country will see Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as an example of the great heights that they, too, can achieve.
For the very first time in our Nation's history, the Senate has confirmed a Black woman to the Supreme Court of the United States. For only the sixth time, we have confirmed a woman to the Supreme Court, and for the fourth time, we have confirmed a working mother. It is also the first time in 50 years that the Senate has confirmed a Justice with public defense experience.
This nomination represents progress, and I am heartened that it was a bipartisan majority of Senators who came together to make history today. I also know that this progress would not have been possible without someone who was brave enough to step ahead on her own; without someone willing to work twice as hard in order to be the first; without someone able to persevere no matter how challenging, how difficult, or how full of doubt her path ahead may sometimes be.
It shouldn't have been this hard. As you know, I am a member of the Judiciary Committee, so I can attest that, when then-Judge Jackson came before the committee with an outstanding judicial record, with bipartisan acclaim, and historic qualifications, she came prepared. She did answer a whole range of important questions, and she was forthcoming. She was clear and gracious.
Many Senators took the opportunity to engage deeply on issues that will shape the future of our Nation--issues like the role of technology and innovation, voting rights, Tribal sovereignty, and much, much more; but, sadly, as has been referenced, some of our colleagues chose to fill their time with hostility, bad faith, and misleading smears.
They chose to hold Judge Jackson to a different standard than other Supreme Court nominees whom they themselves had previously supported. In the same breath as they tried to praise Judge Jackson's character and qualifications, they denigrated her motives; they questioned her impartiality and made up excuse after excuse for why they couldn't support her nomination. It was painful to watch, not just for me but for people across the country.
Judge Jackson was in the spotlight for days, but she continually met disrespect with calm composure. It is an experience that is all too common for those with the audacity to break new ground. Judge Jackson was unfairly tested, but she persevered.
I believe that Judge Jackson deserved better than the treatment she received during the confirmation process. When you see Senators cast aside their good faith in questioning nominees, the threat to the integrity of our justice system is very real, and the cynicism it breeds for our institutions is real. These are the issues that this Senate and that each Senator must confront.
But, today, I want to--and I choose to--celebrate the historic achievement of this confirmation.
Over the last few weeks, I have received thousands of letters and emails and other messages, including on social media, from Californians who support Justice Jackson's confirmation. The messages have come from people of all backgrounds and from every corner of my home State. I have heard from Californians who admire the tenacity, the grace, and the integrity that Justice Jackson showed in committee. I have also gotten messages from so many Californians, young Californians, who see themselves in Justice Jackson's story and from Californians who say that the Court and our country will be better because of her service.
So, as we cast our historic votes, I celebrate the better America that we are building, wherein our courts better reflect and understand the diverse country that they serve. I celebrate the joy that Justice Jackson has brought to people across not just California but across the Nation. I celebrate the commitment to equal rights and equal justice that she will bring to the Supreme Court; and I celebrate the inspiration that she provides to young people, especially young people of color, who will write the next chapter of our American story.
When Judge Jackson introduced herself to the American people in the course of the confirmation hearing in the Judiciary Committee, she said that she stood on the shoulders of the civil rights icon and her personal hero, Judge Constance Baker Motley. For many in the next generation, their hero will be Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
I have shared with others and want to share again today that this confirmation represents one more step toward making our institutions and our courts more inclusive for all Americans.
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Mr. PADILLA.
(English translation of the statement made in Spanish is as follows:)
Today, we are celebrating a historic moment. We are celebrating the progress that we made to ensure that the Supreme Court better reflects our country.
Judge Jackson is more than qualified and is going to bring important and necessary perspectives to the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, she was attacked by Republicans during her confirmation process; but to every attack, Judge Jackson responded with grace and patience. She showed the country that she will be an exceptional Supreme Court Justice, and she will keep being an inspiration for the next generation.
Madam President, Judge--now Justice--Jackson has earned her place on the Supreme Court.
I will end by acknowledging that, while one person alone, sitting on a Court of nine equals, can't single-handedly create faith in the institution, I have every confidence that Justice Jackson will strengthen the Supreme Court and help our country progress forward.
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