During remarks on the Senate floor Monday, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke about the confirmation of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Mr. President, three years ago today, this Capitol served as the background for one of
00:06the most notable events in recent American history.
00:10On April 7, 2022, our country made a monumental stride forward.
00:17The Senate confirmed a once-in-a-generation legal talent, a jurist with outstanding credentials
00:23and invaluable lived experience, and the first ever black woman and former public defender
00:30to serve as a Justice of the Supreme Court, Judge Katonji Brown Jackson.
00:36Justice Jackson's confirmation shattered the glass ceiling and paved the way for future
00:41women of color to follow in her footsteps.
00:44Her name will be remembered in history for generations to come.
00:49When the Supreme Court first met in the Capitol Building in February of 1801, there were a
00:55million slaves in this nation of five million people.
00:59A million slaves in a nation of five million people.
01:03This very building itself was built with the labor of enslaved people.
01:09At the time, neither black Americans nor women had the right to vote.
01:14America's battle to end slavery continued through the Civil War and was followed by
01:18decades of efforts to break down lingering racial barriers.
01:23The efforts continue to this day.
01:26Our struggle to enfranchise and empower women did not end with the passage of the 19th Amendment.
01:32It continues to this day, as we strive to give our daughters the same opportunities
01:37as our sons.
01:39The confirmation of Justice Katonji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court honored the history
01:44that came before it.
01:46It honored the struggles of the past and the men and women who fought for a future where
01:50skin color and gender are no longer a barrier to full participation in the American society,
01:57voting and seeking the highest positions in our government.
02:01Americans' history is defined by our enduring effort to bridge the gap between the ideal
02:07and our slow march towards progress.
02:09But with each generation, we edge closer to making that ideal a reality.
02:15In 1965, we ensured that the federal government could rigorously protect the right to vote,
02:22the right that protects all other rights, for that matter, with the passage of the Voting
02:27Rights Act.
02:29Two years later, after passing that civil rights bill, we confirmed the first black
02:35American to ever serve on the Supreme Court, Justice Thurgood Marshall.
02:40And more than 50 years later, 50 years, we took another step forward by confirming Justice
02:47Jackson, the first black woman to serve on that court.
02:51I want to give credit where it's due.
02:53This was the initiative of President Joe Biden, who made it clear when he was elected president
02:59this was his highest priority when it came to the Supreme Court.
03:04President Biden kept his word.
03:07With Justice Jackson's confirmation to the highest court in the land, we not only made
03:11history, but we also carried on a great American tradition, elevating our nation's best and
03:17brightest legal minds to a sacred position of service, a seat she now occupies for life.
03:25There is no one more deserving of this high honor and profound responsibility than Justice
03:29Jackson.
03:31She is one of the best.
03:33She's devoted her life to serving our country, and she's done so at every level of the federal
03:38judiciary.
03:39And at every turn, she's upheld the Constitution and faithfully followed the rule of law.
03:46She is impartial, thoughtful, evenhanded, evaluating every case from, in her words,
03:53quote, a neutral posture.
03:55Since her confirmation, Justice Jackson made her mark on the court, establishing her status
04:01as a sharp and inquisitive questioner of the parties before her, and whether she authors
04:05majority opinions or dissents, she always demonstrates a brilliant legal mind.
04:12Just a year into her tenure on the court, Justice Jackson's first major opinion reaffirmed
04:18that Medicaid patients unlawfully denied care or abused by health care providers can sue
04:25under Section 1983.
04:28Section 1983 is a law enacted following the Civil War as part of the Ku Klux Klan Act,
04:34which allows lawsuits by individuals whose civil rights have been violated.
04:38It is a powerful tool for America to seek accountability from local, state, and federal
04:44government officials.
04:47At the time when President Trump and unelected co-president Elon Musk have vowed to cut Medicaid,
04:54it is more crucial than ever that we give those who need this program the legal recourse
04:59they need if they're denied care or otherwise abused by a provider.
05:04In instances where Justice Jackson has descended from the majority, she makes a clear case
05:09for why she's reached that conclusion.
05:12Nearly two years ago, the Supreme Court ended the use of affirmative action in college and
05:17university admissions.
05:19Justice Jackson issued a strong, compelling dissent, and she wrote,
05:23Deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life.
05:28She continued, and I quote, Having so detached itself from this country's actual past and
05:33present experience, the court has now been lured into interfering with the crucial work
05:39that institutions of higher learning are doing to solve America's real-world problems.
05:45Mr. President, it is one of the great honors of my life to preside over the confirmation
05:50hearing of Justice Jackson during my time as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
05:55Justice Jackson's story is one of breaking barriers and paving the way for future women
06:00of color to follow in her footstep.
06:03At a time when the president and his administration are challenging the rule of law in our country
06:08as never before, Justice Jackson's presence on the court in the land, on the highest court
06:14in the land, could not be more important.
06:17I am incredibly proud of all she has accomplished so far during her time in the Supreme Court,
06:22and I know that Justice Jackson will continue to honor all those who came before her and
06:27sat on the bench.
06:28Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.