Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson used part of her opening statement at the Senate confirmation hearing Monday afternoon to thank God for His blessings, and — as her husband wept nearby — to thank the members of her family.
From her statement transcript (via CNN):
And while I am on the subject of gratitude, I must also pause to reaffirm my thanks to God, for it is faith that sustains me at this moment. Even prior to today, I can honestly say that my life had been blessed beyond measure.
The first of my many blessings is the fact that I was born in this great Nation, a little over 50 years ago, in September of 1970. Congress had enacted two Civil Rights Acts in the decade before, and like so many who had experienced lawful racial segregation first-hand, my parents, Johnny and Ellery Brown, left their hometown of Miami, Florida and came to Washington D.C. to experience new freedom.
…
My parents also instilled in me—and in my younger brother Ketajh—the importance of public service. After graduating from Howard University, Ketajh started out as a police officer, following two of our uncles. In the wake of the September 11th attacks, he volunteered for the Army, and became an infantry officer, serving two tours of duty in the Middle East. Ketajh is here today, providing his love and support as always.
And speaking of unconditional love, I would like to introduce my husband of 25 years, Dr. Patrick Jackson. I have no doubt that, without him by my side from the very beginning of this incredible professional journey, none of this would have been possible. We met in college more than three decades ago, and since then, he has been the best husband, father, and friend I could ever imagine. Patrick, I love you.
William—Patrick’s identical twin—is here as well, along with his wonderful wife Dana. Also here, from Salt Lake City, Utah, are Patrick’s older brother Gardie and his wife Natalie. And my very dear in-laws—the matriarch and patriarch of the Jackson family—Pamela and Gardner Jackson—have traveled here from Boston to be with me today.
And, of course, I am saving a special moment in this introduction for my daughters, Talia and Leila. Girls, I know it has not been easy as I have tried to navigate the challenges of juggling my career and motherhood. And I fully admit that I did not always get the balance right. But I hope that you have seen that with hard work, determination, and love, it can be done. I am so looking forward to seeing what each of you chooses to do with your amazing lives in this incredible country. I love you so much.
The Senators on the committee confined their remarks to opening statements. Questions begin in earnest Tuesday morning.
Republicans suggested they would pursue Judge Jackson’s record on the sentencing of sex offenders, her past support for Critical Race Theory, and her apparent support for releasing violent criminals from custody during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.