Cronkite school of journalism at
Arizona state university.
>> The senate today narrowly
confirmed first black woman to
the U.S. Supreme court.
Let's begin now with some
background on today's vote,
following a whirlwind
confirmation process.
>> On this vote, the gays are
53, the nays are 47, and the
nomination is confirmed -- on
this vote, the yeas are 53, the
nays R 47.
>> Judge Jackson watched it
unfold alongside president Arden
in the white house, and vice
president Harris reflected on
the occasion as she left the
chamber.
>> The statement that in our
highest court of the land, we
want to make sure there will be
full representation and the
finest and brightest and best.
>> Three Republican senators,
Lisa murkowski of Alaska, Mitt
Romney of Utah, and Susan
Collins of Maine, joined all 50
Democrats in voting for Jackson.
>> This is a great moment for
judge Jackson, but it is an even
greater moment for America as we
rise to a more perfect union.
>> Jackson will become not only
the first black woman on the
court, she will also be the
first justice to have been a
federal public defender.
Last month, she spoke of the
legal racial segregation her
parents lived through and how it
shaped her life today.
>> My parents taught me that
unlike the many barriers that
they had had to face growing up,
my path was clearer, so that if
I worked hard and I believed in
myself in America, I could do
anything or be anyone I wanted
to be.
>> Jackson worked for eight
years as a federal district
court judge until last June when
she was confirmed unto the D.C.
Circuit court of appeals.
Some Republicans today repeated
concerns about expanding the
size of the court and Jackson's
judicial philosophy.
>> Her judicial record is full
of cases where justice Jackson
ruled like a policymaker
implementing personal biases
instead of a judge following the
text wherever it led.
>> Others reiterated attacks on
a narrow part of her sentencing
record.
>> We can reasonably expect that
justice Jackson will
consistently vote as she has
done as a judge for the last 10
years -- for more lenient
sentences for criminal
defendants.
>> Questions Jackson fielded
time and again during
confirmation hearings.
>> I know what it is like to
have loved ones who go off to
protect and to serve and the
fear of not knowing if they are
going to come home again because
a crime in the community.
>> The white house announced
judge Jackson will deliver
remarks tomorrow from the south
lawn along with president Biden
and vice president Harris.
For the next three months,
Jackson is a justice in waiting
until justice fire retires at
the end of the current court
term.
The longest -- until justice
Breyer retires at the end of the
current court term.
Justice Jackson will sit for her
first term on the court in
October.
For more on this historic
supreme court confirmation, I'm
joined by the first black woman
judge in northern California who
has since retired from the bench
and recently published an
memoir.
Welcome.
Thanks for joining us.
It only took 230 three years,
but here we are.
What did you think when the vote
happened today, where we are,
what it means for the nation?
>> I watched the boat as it
happened, and when it was
finalized, I immediately thought
this is a good day for America
and a wonderful day for
America's legal system.
Yet another barrier has been
broken and we are on a slow but
steady process of making or --
our U.S. Supreme court look like
America.
We are not there yet, but this
is a huge step in that
direction.
>> You know what it is like to
be the first in a space, which
is something judge Jackson has
known and will continue to know.
The pressure is big for any
high-profile role, specifically
in this kind of role for a black
woman.
Talk to me about what you
anticipate for judge Jackson.
>> The pressure that I being the
first African-American woman,
really two different kinds of
pressure.
One is what I call the bad
pressure, pressure from
individuals within the
institution and on the outside
who expect you to fail, expect
you to fail, expecting you and
want you, hoping that you fail.
They bought into negative
stereotypes about women, about
people of color, and they don't
want their institutions to
change.
Then there is the good pressure,
pressure from communities of
color, from women's
organizations and communities
who want you to succeed and hope
that you will, expect you to
succeed.
What that means for judge Ron
Jackson, the justice in waiting,
is that she has seen a few of
these pressures, but we have
already seen that her history is
that she has survived and dealt
well with these pressures.
In fact, they have made her
thrive.
We can expect nothing different
from what she has done already.
>> Among those who oppose her
before and still oppose her,
there are some that say she is
only there because she is black,
right?
There are some Republicans who
were saying that even before the
confirmation hearings began.
What would you say to them?
>> The same things were said
when I was appointed.
I say back to them and I say
this on behalf of judge brown
Jackson, I would rather be
appointed because I'm a black
woman than not be appointed
because I'm black woman.
It is nothing to be ashamed of,
and it is a job that we can do
and should have been doing.
Consider the U.S. Supreme court
has been a segregated
institution for more than 200
years.
You look back when Thurgood
Marshall came on the bench, and
then we looked at 1980 one,
Sandra day o'connor was the
first woman on the court.
Before then, hundreds of years,
it has only been white males.
It has been a segregated
institution.
So it is time.
It does not matter what people
say about why they think she is
there.
We know that she will do a great
job on the court.
>> Did it surprise you that
Republicans voted to confirm
her?
>> What surprised me was they
are touted as having courage to
vote for this candidate, this
nominee for the court.
This does not take courage.
This nomination and voting for
her was common sense and if
anyone understands the legal
system and how important
representational diversity is,
does not take courage at all.
It is common sense.
Those who did not vote for her,
they express themselves quite
well with their baseless, race
baiting, and insulting comments
and questions to her, and I hope
we spend very little time on
these individuals who are
basically very hypocritical
and/or do not have an
understanding of how the legal
system works, particularly the
criminal legal system.
>> We have less than a minute
left, but I have to ask -- she
could likely be on the bench for
decades.
She's very young.
What do you anticipate justice
Jackson's impact on the court
will be?
>> Initially, as you stated, she
will not be generally probably
in the majority.
She will be with the liberal
wing which now will be composed
of three women, one
African-American, one Latina,
and a jewish woman, which I find
wonderful, the fact there is so
much diversity.
She will likely be writing
dissents, but I say to people
who are discouraged by that,
history shows that justice is,
as long as they are on the court
a long time, often times those
dissenting opinions become
majority opinions, so if the law
evolves, as we know, and I
expect her to be a consensus
builder or at least make a
good-faith attempt to do it,
eventually we will see things
change, as we always do in our
legal system.
>> Thank you so much for being
with us.
>> Thank you so much.
It is a good day.