Here is the letter we sent to all the Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to strongly support Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. You can help. Please contact your Senators and urge them to confirm her. It could have an impact.
Women Lawyers On Guard Action Network:
Today is a cause for celebration. President Biden has nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as his pick for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. As you are no doubt aware, Judge Jackson would be the first Black woman on the Court. Among 115 justices, only 3 have been people of color and only 5 have been women.
Judge Brown is not just a distinguished jurist, she also comes to this position with a wealth of litigation experience, most significantly as a Federal Public Defender, but also in private practice, and as a clerk to Justice Stephen Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court. She is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Harvard University.
She will be a voice for equal justice under the law – for women- and for all people.
Here are some joyous statements on her nomination: From the NAACP; from the National Women’s Law Center; and a video from People For the American Way.
PLEASE CONTACT YOUR SENATORS AND URGE THEM TO SWIFTLY CONFIRM JUDGE JACKSON TO BECOME JUSTICE JACKSON
Cory Amron, President
No sooner had President Biden reiterated his pledge to choose a Black woman to the Supreme Court to fill the seat soon to be vacated by Justice Stephen Breyer, then the disinformation machine began churning out cries that the nominee–who has yet to be named–is not qualified to sit on the Court. All of a sudden, being Black and a woman is a “litmus” test that the President is using to elevate someone to the Court who (therefore this message indicates) cannot be the most qualified candidate. The barely veiled racism/sexism underlying this statement is that the “most qualified” candidate necessarily is a white male.
What nonsense. One needs only to review the qualifications of those who might be proposed to see through this pernicious effort.
Let’s be clear: Our Supreme Court needs to look like America and serve ALL in America – with justices who understand how their rulings impact all of our lives and who will defend our civil rights under the law. Of the 115 Supreme Court justices, 108 have been white men, 5 have been women, 1 is a Latina woman, and 2 have been Black men. None has been a Black woman.
Take a look at these op-eds of Fatima Goss Graves, President of National Women’s Law Center [Link HERE] and Michael Gerson, commentator in the Washington Post [Link HERE]. Then, lift up your voice with theirs and, in a chorus, let’s expose this “qualification” disinformation for the utter nonsense that it is.
Women Lawyers on Guard Action Network (WLGAN) is galvanized at the historic selection of Senator Kamala Harris for Vice President! Her selection is inspiring and a profoundly important milestone for all women, and especially women of color. Senator Harris will help unite and lead our country through these unprecedented times. Kamala Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate from California in 2017. She is the second African American women and first South Asian American to serve in the U.S. Senate. She is a graduate of Howard University and the University of California Hastings College of Law and began her legal career as a district attorney and later the City Attorney of San Francisco. She was elected the Attorney General of California in 2010. [See a summary of her impressive life and career HERE]
WLGAN joins with sister national organizations – National Women’s Law Center, Planned Parenthood, Emily’s List, National Partnership for Women and Families, Supermajority, and TimesUp – in support of Senator Harris, and particularly to challenge the media (and all of us) to avoid the destructive stereotypes about women and people of color as they (and we) talk about her candidacy. HERE is a Washington Post article warning us to be ready for online misogyny. And HERE is a powerful letter from these six women’s organizations addressed to the media, calling on them to be mindful of these stereotypes and expecting to see better from the press.
As you talk about Senator Kamala Harris with your family, friends and colleagues, remember that WE HAVE HER BACK! And we hope you will as well.
WLG/WLGAN is all about turning outrage and anger into action. In the wake of another outrageous killing of a Black man, George Floyd, and the violation of the constitutional rights of peaceful protestors, we urge you to “Do Something.” Here are two resources:
First, HERE is a link to an Anti-Racist Resource Guide prepared by Victoria Alexander (her LinkedIn Page HERE). The guide is filled with ideas about broadening your understanding of, and ways to combat, racism. We share this with the obvious caveats that many other worthwhile organizations, projects and resources exist, and we encourage you to find them; also that you should check out any organization you are unfamiliar with, if you are interested in donating.
Second, the American Constitution Society is connecting volunteer lawyers with organizations and chapters on the ground for efforts across the country. If you would like to volunteer, Ashley Erickson has asked that you please contact her directly at [email protected] and include “WLG/WLGAN Sent Us” in the subject line.
