Sen. Booker praises SCOTUS nominee Jackson: 'You have earned this spot'

In emotional remarks to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson during her Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., praised the Supreme Court nominee and spoke of the struggle of many groups in America, particularly African American women. Booker said, “You have earned this spot. You are worthy. You are a great American.” Later in his remarks, Booker said, “I know what it’s taken for you to sit in that seat.”

Video Transcript

- And I'm telling you right now I'm not letting anybody in the Senate steal my joy. I told you this at the beginning. I, I have, I'm embarrassed. It happened earlier today. I just look at you and I start getting full of emotion. I'm jogging this morning, and I'm at the end of the block I live on, and I get ter-- because I put my music on loud when I'm jogging trying to block out the noise of the heart attack I'm having.

And this woman comes up on me, practically tackles me, an African-American woman, and the look on her eyes, she just wanted to touch me because, I think, because I'm sitting so close to you and tell me what it meant to her to watch you sitting where you're sitting. And you did not get there because of some left wing agenda. You didn't get here because of some dark money groups.

You got here how every Black woman in America who's gotten anywhere has done, by being like Ginger Rogers said. I did everything Fred Astaire did but backwards in heels. And so I'm just sitting here saying nobody's stealing my joy. Nobody's going to make me angry, especially not people that are called in a conservative magazine demagogic for what they're bringing up that just doesn't hold water. I'm not going to let my joy be stolen because I know you and I, we appreciate something that we get that a lot of my colleagues don't.

I know Tim Scott does. When I first came to this place, I was the fourth Black person ever popularly elected to the United States Senate, and I still remember a lot of mixed people, white folks, Black folks work here. But at night, when people are in line to come in to clean this place, the percentage of minorities shift a lot. And so I'm walking here, first week I'm here, and somebody who's been here for decades, doing the urgent work of the Senate, but the unglamorous work that goes on no matter who's in offices, the guy comes up to me.

All he wants to say, I can tell, is I'm so happy you're here. But he comes up, and he can't get the words out. And this man, my elder, starts crying. And I just hugged him, and he just kept telling me it is so good to see you here. It's so good to see you here. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you I love my brother Tim Scott. We could write a dissertation on our disagreements. He gave the best speech on race. I wish I could have given as good of a speech.

But talking to the challenges and indignities that are still faced, and you're here. I was in the White House with my Democratic colleagues, and I'm, again, I'm in my joy. I can't help it. And the president's asking our advice, who should we nominate and whatever. And I look at Kamala, and we have a knowing glance, which we've had for years when she and I used to sit on this end of this committee at times. And then I try to get out to the president what it means, what it means.

And I want to tell you when I look at you, this is why I get emotional. I'm sorry, you're, you're a person that is so much more than your race and gender. You're a Christian. You're a mom. You're, you're, you're an intellect. You love books. But for me, I'm sorry, I, it's hard for me not to look at you and not see my mom, not to see my, my cousins, one of them who had to come here and sit behind you. She had to be, she had to have your back.

I see my ancestors and yours. Nobody's going to steal the joy of that woman in the street, or the calls that I'm getting, or the texts. Nobody's going to steal that joy. You have earned this spot. You are worthy. You are a great American. Your hero is Constance Baker Motley. Mine, she has sat on my desk for my offices that I've held. She's my icon of America. Her name is Harriet Tubman.

There is a love in this country that is extraordinary. You admitted it about your parents. They loved this nation, even though there were laws preventing them from getting together. When they were loving, there were laws in this country that would have prevented you from marrying your husband. It wasn't that long ago, it was last generation. But they didn't stop loving this country, even though this country didn't love them back.

And what were the words of your heroes and mine? What did Constance Baker Motley do? Did she-- this country that she saw insult and injuries, when she came out of law school, law firms went even hire her because she was a woman. Did she become bitter? Did she try to create a revolution? No, she used the very constitution of this nation. She loved it so much she wanted America to be America. As Langston Hughes let, wrote, oh, let America be America again.

The land that never has been yet, but yet must be, the land where everyone is free. Oh, yes, I say it plain. America never was America to me, but I swear this oath. America will be. That is the story of how you got to this desk. You and I and everyone here, generations of folk who came here and said America, I'm Irish. You may say no Irish or dogs need apply, but I'm going to show this country that I can be free here. I can make this country love me as much as I love it.

Chinese-Americans first forced into near slave labor, building our railroads, connecting our country saw the ugliest of America, but they were going to build their home here and say America, you may not love me yet, but I'm going to make this nation live up to its promise and hope. LGBTQ Americans, from Stonewall women to Seneca, hidden figures who didn't even get their play until some Hollywood movie finally talked about them and how they were critical for us defying gravity, all of these people loved America.

And so you faced insults here that were shocking to me, well, actually, not shocking. But you are here because of that kind of love, and nobody's taking this away from me. So you've got five more folk to go through, five more of us. And then you can sit back and let us have all the debates. And I'm going to tell you, it's going to be a well charted Senate floor because it's not going to stop. They're going to accuse you of this and that.

Heck, in honor of your person who shares your birthday, you might be called the Communist. But don't worry, my sister, don't worry. God has got you. And how do I know that? Because you're here, and I know what it's taken for you to sit in that seat.