Statement on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Historic Confirmation Hearings

For Immediate Release
March 24, 2022

Statement on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's Historic Confirmation Hearings

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following the historic confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman nominated to the United States Supreme Court, EMILYs List President Laphonza Butler released the following statement: 

“This week Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson reminded us just how qualified she is for the Supreme Court. While facing racists attacks, extreme disrespect and offensive conspiracy theories from Republican senators, she continued to endure and exemplify patience, grace and courage throughout. On top of being one of our most qualified nominees ever, it is clear that she possesses the character and fortitude that is worthy of this appointment.

“Making history is rarely easy. Black women have been at the very center of social change, yet disqualified from positions of power throughout our government because the system was not built for us. Judge Jackson’s testimony this week inspired me and I know she will be a role model for generations of girls who see themselves in her. She is breaking ground and making history, and I look forward to celebrating her confirmation as the first Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court.”

EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $700 million to elect Democratic pro-choice women candidates. With a grassroots community of over five million members, EMILY's List helps Democratic women win competitive campaigns – across the country and up and down the ballot – by recruiting and training candidates, supporting and helping build strong campaigns, researching the issues that impact women and families, running nearly $50 million in independent expenditures in the last cycle alone, and turning out women voters and voters of color to the polls. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect the country's first woman as vice president, 159 women to the House, 26 to the Senate, 16 governors, and more than 1,300 women to state and local office. More than 40% of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. After the 2016 election, more than 60,000 women reached out to EMILY's List about running for office laying the groundwork for the next decade of candidates for local, state, and national offices. In our effort to elect more women in offices across the country, we have created our Run to Win program, expanded our training program, including a Training Center online, and trained thousands of women.