I hear that some Republicans had a lot of energy yesterday for complaining about the tough treatment that their nominees got from Democrats while Trump was President. It’s presented as something that could justify the Republicans being as “mean” to Judge Jackson.
But that’s bogus. There’s a big difference.
Judge Jackson really has nothing disqualifying. She’s shown herself to be a great human being who has integrity, excellent legal credentials, and who brings goodwill and a concern for justice to her jurisprudence.
By contrast, there were good reasons for the Democrats to be combative about the Trump appointees. Consider each of them:
- Gorsuch was nominated to fill a seat that had been stolen by the Republicans in an illegitimate fashion, when they wouldn’t respect Obama’s right to nominate a replacement for the deceased Scalia, and unjustifiably turned “advise and consent” into veto power to steal not just a Supreme Court seat, but a Court majority. Never has anything so valuable been stolen, that I know of, in American history. I’m still angry.
- Kavanaugh got nominated fair and square, but there were accusations that clearly were valid— one could see the credibility of the woman, and one could see that Kavanaugh was indeed just that kind of guy. And we have every reason to believe that Kavanaugh perjured himself at his hearings, and that he perjured himself years before as well. Someone with better character surely could be given a life-time seat on our highest Court of Justice. He may be a bright guy, but he’s not the kind of man who should be one of the Supremes.
- Then there was Amy Conan Barrett who, aside from being something of a zealot, it seems, on behalf of some of her religious beliefs, was appealing enough, and surely qualified. But it certainly galled when McConnell — the same man who thought that there wasn’t enough time to consider an Obama nominee though Scalia died in February, and there was nearly a year to go before someone else would become president, rushed Barrett through at nearly the very end of Trump’s turn, showing such utter hypocrisy and making a mockery of all principle on the part of the Republicans. So once again, the Democrats had reason to seethe, and take it out on these nominees.
The Republicans have turned the Supreme Court into a more corrupt, partisan institution than it has been for generations, and perhaps ever.
They’ve got no reason to complain about the treatment their people have gotten, and they’ve got no legitimate reason (that I can see) to object to Jackson. This is the kind of nominee that should get the near-unanimous confirmation that once was not unusual.