History has Been Confirmed

This piece was originally published in the April 7, 2022 edition of CAP Action’s newsletter, the Progress Report. Subscribe to the Progress Report here.

“I stand on the shoulders of many who have come before me, including Judge Constance Baker Motley, who was the first African American woman to be appointed to the federal bench … And like Judge Motley, I have dedicated my career to ensuring that the words engraved on the front of the Supreme Court building—”Equal Justice Under Law”—are a reality and not just an ideal” – Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

Yesterday, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson made history by becoming the first Black woman confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

She also became the first former public defender to earn a seat on the court. Her background and life experiences will bring a perspective to the court that it has  sorely lacked for its entire history. 

Judge Jackson will soon join the ranks of champions for justice such as Justices William Brennan, Thurgood Marshall, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Judge Jackson’s confirmation shows Americans that despite what can feel like a desperate time for the court, there can—and will—be progress.

Share this graphic to celebrate this historic moment:

In the news

• Weekly unemployment claims fell to 166,000 last week—the lowest they’ve been since 1968—as further proof of the strong economic recovery the United States is seeing under President Joe Biden.
• Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) vetoed a bill to ban transgender women and girls from playing in sports leagues that are consistent with their gender identity. The state legislature is expected to override the veto, setting Kentucky up to be the latest state to enshrine this attack on transgender athletes into law.

What we’re reading

• “Minneapolis officer who fatally shot Amir Locke won’t be charged” by Andy Mannix and Paul Walsh (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• “The future cost of climate inaction? $2 trillion a year, says the government” by Laura Benshoff (NPR)
• “Fed: Companies see largest profit growth in nearly 50 years” by Basil John (NewsNation)
• “Biden Appears to Show Support for Amazon Workers Who Voted to Unionize” by Katie Rogers and Karen Weise (The New York Times)
• “McConnell won’t commit to hearings for Biden SCOTUS picks if GOP retakes Senate” by Erin Doherty (Axios)
• “Biden to erase defaults for millions of federal student loan borrowers” by Michael Stratford (Politico)

This piece was originally published in the April 7, 2022 edition of CAP Action’s newsletter, the Progress Report. Subscribe to the Progress Report here.