Ben Heller Week 10- Ketanji Brown’s Absurd Hearing
Week 10- Ketanji Brown’s Absurd Hearing
Ben HellerSince writing my initial article last week about the senate hearings for judge Ketanji Brown, I’ve taken in a lot of content relating to the hearings. This has taken the form of videos from the hearing and from satire. Party politics were blatantly at play during last week’s hearing. It is depressing to see how politicians can no longer set aside their differences when it comes to supposedly impartial matters like deciding whether or not Brown should be confirmed as a Judge of the Supreme Court. Any person with half a mind can see that she is qualified for her job; her constant insistence on the importance of impartiality and the precedents set by the court give a clear indication of such.
It is also disconcerting to see what Republican senators feel their constituents care about. Ted Cruz, a laughable caricature of a politician, used his time to go over a children’s book that explains how racism is taught, and the fact that tolerance can inversely be taught. He used the book as an emblem of the Critical Race Theory that many conservatives vehemently oppose. This is not to mention the fact that many of Cruz’s constituents don’t know enough about CRT to create an informed opinion about it. Similarly, other GOP senators used her past as a defense attorney for criminals as a reason to make her ineligible for the position. Despite her insistence on the rule of the constitution and precedent, many senators still cling to partisan bickering. Whilst the Justiceship is supposed to be an impartial position, it seems increasingly clear that both democrats and republicans would wish for the Supreme Court justices to voice their qualms with different policies of the government. This issue of partisanship is a blight on the American government, the American people, and will result in the destruction of the American values we all hold dead, unless something is done.
I read a lot about the Senate Hearings over the past week as I wrote one of my 5 things topics on them. I think it is absolutely crazy and sad to hear the types of questions the GOP were asking Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as she is one of the most, if not the most, qualified nominee we have ever had. Honestly, it is quite embarrassing what occurred last week. I also find it funny that those same GOP senators said they went in with an open mind which is definitely a complete lie.
ReplyDeleteOne fact I find interesting regarding Supreme Court confirmation hearings is that no confirmation hearings were held in the first hundred years of the country, but began due to some people's alarm at Woodrow Wilson's nomination of a Jewish Judge. In the present, the confirmation hearing questions are more for the public than the judge. I believe the culprit of this is video recording. While keeping government processes public is a fundamental component of democracy, in this instance, perhaps removing the camera from the Senate chamber would allow senators to thoughtfully question the judge and determine their capability.
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