Shop
 Explore 

Senator Cory Booker brought Ketanji Brown Jackson to tears in Supreme Court confirmation hearing

Senator Cory Booker brought Ketanji Brown Jackson to tears in Supreme Court confirmation hearing

Kyle Griffin/Twitter

Cory Booker gave Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation hearing the joyful recognition it deserves.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has spent the past three days being interviewed by members of the U.S. Senate as they consider her nomination for Supreme Court justice. As expected, it has been ugly at times, with some members of Congress attempting to paint her in a negative light.

Jackson came into these hearings as one of the most qualified candidates ever, and she has handled everything thrown at her with grace, poise and barrels full of patience. Someone serving on the highest court in the land should have the temperament to handle questions and concerns without erupting into emotional outbursts, so her collectedness is not unexpected. At the same time, it can't have been easy to be grilled for hours on end, especially when you know certain politicians are determined to make you out to be someone you're not.

Jackson's nomination is also historically significant. If confirmed, she will be the first Black woman to serve as a Supreme Court justice. Considering the fact that 96% (110 out of 115) of the Supreme Court justices up to now have been men and 97% (112 out of 115) have been white, representation on the nation's highest court has been woefully imbalanced, which is why President Biden made it a point to chose a Black woman out of all of the well-qualified candidates as his nominee.

This moment matters. And New Jersey Senator Cory Booker wasn't about to let the ugly politics of the last couple of days cloud that fact. In his signature, animated way, Booker celebrated Jackson's presence in the hearing in a way that moved both Jackson and those who were watching.

An excerpt of the speech quickly circulated on Twitter.

Just watch this video. Just watch.pic.twitter.com/wmERvmniL5
— Kyle Griffin (@Kyle Griffin) 1648072521

He begins by quoting poet Langston Hughes' "Let America Be America Again," then pointing out the various groups of people who have had to fight for their freedom in this country. He pointed out how much each of those groups loved America, to push this country to live to its ideals, to make it what it has always claimed to be.

"All of these people loved America," he said. "You are here because of that kind of love."

Booker's joy at the historic significance of this moment was personal, but contagious. He's right—this is a moment to celebrate. And it was lovely to see him reflect that back to her with words of praise and encouragement.

Watch the full video below—it's even more powerful—and see some of the reactions from people who were moved by Booker's words:

How important that Ketanji Brown Jackson receives these public words of encouragement in the middle of this confirmation hearing. To provide her strength and resolve in the middle of all of this nonsense. \u201cYou are worthy.\u201dThose three words are everything. #SheWillRise
— April (@April) 1648071635

The way Cory poured into her to recharge her. \ud83e\udd79
— Monica Williams (@Monica Williams) 1648073278

I am writing this as a white man of a certain age. Sen. Cory Booker isn't going on. He's telling the story the right way... with the moral force that it deserves. Judge Jackson's story is an American story. And she will make a terrific contribution 2 the highest court n our land.
— Eclecticity (@Eclecticity) 1648074312

Booker's full comments are even more powerful. Watch them here:

He took out the trash with a fierce joy and love that I could have never found. That was brilliant.
— THEE Jay B. (@THEE Jay B.) 1648071680

From Your Site Articles

Related Articles Around the Web

Help is on the way for a desperate mom who couldn't find size 23 shoes for her teenage son

Her son Eric Kilburn Jr. is a 6'10" freshman in high school.

via GoFundMe

A size 21 Nike shoe made for Tacko Fall.

A local reporter at Hometown Life shared a unique and heartfelt story on March 16 about a mother struggling to find shoes that fit her 14-year-old son. The story resonated with parents everywhere; now, her son is getting the help he desperately needs. It's a wonderful example of people helping a family that thought they had nowhere to turn.

When Eric Kilburn Jr. was born, his mother, Rebecca’s OBGYN, told her that he had the “biggest feet I’ve ever seen in my life. Do not go out and buy baby shoes because they’re not gonna fit,’” Rebecca told Today.com. Fourteen years later, it’s almost impossible to find shoes that fit the 6’10” freshman—he needs a size 23.

Keep ReadingShow less

Dog does the ‘pick a card’ challenge and we get to live the dream with him

Suddenly dogs everywhere need teddy bear robes.

Opie the Pit Bully|TikTok

Dog does the 'pick a card' challenge and it's adorable.

There are a few kinds of dog parents: ones that only have outside dogs, those who have inside dogs but they're absolutely not allowed on the furniture and dog parents who treat their dog as if they birthed them themselves and give them every luxury invented for four-legged fur children.

Clearly, people are going to have feelings one way or the other about dogs and their place within a household, but I think everyone can agree that seeing a dog be pampered will always be adorable. Opie the Pit Bully is one of those lucky doggos who wound up living in the lap of luxury, and the pooch got to do a "pick a card" day to showcase that his owner loves him the mostest.

In a video uploaded to TikTok by Opie's owner because...ya know, opposable thumbs and all…Opie is faced with two cards that he can't read: 1) because he's a dog, and 2) because the cards are facing toward the camera. That doesn't stop the sweet puppers from playing along, though.

Keep ReadingShow less

pick a card date night

Korean mom has a perfect response to the teacher who called her son's lunches 'disgusting'

Good for her for standing up for her child's culture.

via Roman Harak/Flickr

A Korean mother and her son

A recently posted story on Reddit shows a mother confidently standing up for her family after being bullied by a teacher for her culture. Reddit user Flowergardens0 posted the story to the AITA forum, where people ask whether they are wrong in a specific situation.

Over 5,600 people commented on the story, and an overwhelming majority thought the mother was right. Here’s what went down:

“I (34F) have a (5M) son who attends preschool. A few hours after I picked him up from school today, I got a phone call from his teacher,” Flowergardens0 wrote. “She made absolutely no effort to sound kind when she, in an extremely rude and annoyed tone, told me to stop packing my son such ‘disgusting and inappropriate’ lunches."

Keep ReadingShow less

90-year-old tortoise is a hero to his species by becoming a first-time dad to 3 hatchlings

Way to go, daddio!

Photo by David Cadenas on Unsplash

What we imagine the look on Mr/ Pickles' face to be after becoming a dad.

It’s been an exciting time for a couple of tortoises at the Houston Zoo—and really, for tortoises everywhere.

The zoo announced on its blog that their oldest resident, Mr. Pickles, a 90-year-old radiated tortoise, and his 53-year-old companion Mrs. Pickles (that’s quite an age gap there sir, but no judgment) recently welcomed three new hatchlings.

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any better, here are the new baby names: Dill, Gherkin and Jalapeño.

Clearly, Jalepeño is the spicy one of the bunch.

While this news is certainly momentous for Mr. and Mrs. Pickles, it’s also a huge achievement for the entire species, which is currently critically endangered.

Keep ReadingShow less

animals & wildlife

100-year-old woman's speech against book bans in Florida school district goes viral

Grace Linn speaks for millions of Americans.

Jodi Picoult/TikTok

Grace Linn, 100, speaks at a Martin County School Board meeting on March 21, 2023.

Four hundred years ago, copies of William Tyndale’s English translation of the Bible were publicly burned by the bishop of London, with church authorities insisting that the Bible should only be read in Latin (and only by the clergy). In the centuries since, many books we now consider classics such as Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe," Jack London's "Call of the Wild," Walt Whitman’s "Leaves of Grass," Victor Hugo’s "Les Misérables, Charles Darwin’s "Origin of Species"—even Beatrix Potter's "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" and "Benjamin Bunny"—have been banned or censored in one way or another in various countries.

Battles over books are nothing new, but once in a while, they become particularly ugly or absurd, prompting people to speak out against book bans.

People like 100-year-old Florida resident, Grace Linn, whose speech at a Martin County School Board meeting has gone viral.

Keep ReadingShow less

Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler have the cutest friendship, and she has the receipts to prove it

Plenty of teasing. Lots of love.

The Tonight Show/ Youtube

Jennifer Aniston appearing on "The Tonight show"

Let’s face it, platonic relationships between men and women rarely get the same amount of attention as romantic ones, to the point where we debate whether or not they can actually exist in the first place.

That’s what makes a clip of Jennifer Aniston gushing about her decades-long friendship with Adam Sandler so cool to watch. There’s no Harry-Met-Sally-ing here, just one pal talking about another pal.

Aniston sat down with Jimmy Fallon to promote the film “Murder Mystery 2,” starring both Aniston and Sandler, but the conversation quickly veered into several anecdotes about “The Sand Man,” including how the two first met at a deli in their 20s.

As with any healthy friendship, there’s plenty of ragging on each other.

Keep ReadingShow less