On Monday, AFT President Randi Weingarten wrote to the Senate Judiciary Committee expressing the support of Ketanji Browns Jackson’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court. Jackson—a D.C. Court of Appeals Circuit judge—is a public school graduate and a daughter to public school teachers from Florida. Additionally, her judicial knowledge and understanding of the law as it impacts working-class families has earned her praise from Weingarten as “an unwavering voice for justice and fairness.”
Jackson would be the first African-American woman to serve on the court in its history. She was nominated by President Joe Biden due to Justice Stephen Breyer retiring after 28 years of service.
In two days of intense questioning by Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday and Wednesday, Jackson demonstrated incredible resolve and patience in the face of reactionary, culture-war arguments by GOP senators trying to elicit legal opinions throughout the confirmation hearings. Democrats are expected to be united in their support for Jackson’s confirmation to the court, with the possibility for a small few members of the Republican caucus to support her nomination. Utah Senator Mitt Romney, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, and Maine Senator Susan Collins have yet to reach a decision.
Weingarten stressed that the role of the Supreme Court impacts the daily life of every American, every day. “As educators, we defend democracy every day—in our classrooms, in our communities and beyond,” Weingarten wrote. “Progress does not always move quickly, but with this nomination, we take an important step forward in building a court that looks more like America and serves us all.”
Texas AFT reaffirms the sentiments of support for the historic nomination of Jackson to the Supreme Court and urges the Senate to advance towards confirmation.