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Watch Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson give her historic opening remarks before Senate committee

via Washington Post/YouTube

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson makes her opening statement before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court, gave her opening statement at her confirmation hearing on Monday, March 21. She currently sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and will face questions from the U.S. Senate committee's 11 Democrats and 11 Republicans over two days.

The proceedings are sure to be contentious, but Jackson’s opening statement showed that she has the calm demeanor and humility necessary to be appointed to the highest court in the land.

After thanking President Biden for the nomination, she showed the primacy that faith has in her life.

“And while I am on the subject of gratitude, I must also pause to reaffirm my thanks to God, for it is faith that sustains me at this moment,” she said. “Even prior to today, I can honestly say that my life had been blessed beyond measure.”

She then thanked her parents for giving her the hope that she can reach her potential, even in the face of prejudice.

“My parents taught me that, unlike the many barriers that they had had to face growing up, my path was clearer, such that if I worked hard and believed in myself, in America I could do anything or be anything I wanted to be," she said.

She also shared her judicial philosophy while ensuring that it’s secondary to the power of the Constitution.

“I decide cases from a neutral posture. I evaluate the facts, and I interpret and apply the law to the facts of the case before me, without fear or favor, consistent with my judicial oath,” she said. "I know that my role as a judge is a limited one—that the Constitution empowers me only to decide cases and controversies that are properly presented.”

Judge Jackson made it clear that she understood the importance of the past and the historical significance of her appointment.

“During this hearing, I hope that you will see how much I love our country and the Constitution, and the rights that make us free. 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 with whom I share a birthday,” she said.

“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,” she added. “Thank you for this historic chance to join the highest court, to work with brilliant colleagues, to inspire future generations, and to ensure liberty and justice for all.”

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'It's OK to be scared' and 9 other messages we all probably need to hear right now.

If the news lately is getting you down, you're not alone.

From the Supreme Court to the refugee crisis to climate change, a lot of really big things are happening right now. These topics feel as though they're out of our control, making it easy for despair and apathy to settle in.

By now, we all know the drill: Vote, support organizations that share our values, and cultivate meaningful human relationships. Still, cynicism cuts through it all — or at least it can, if you let it.

But across social media, people are sharing powerful messages of hope and inspiration.

With the aforementioned assortment of anxieties affecting the world, let's take a look at some of these motivational messages.

1. Progress is a marathon, not a sprint.

Civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis (D-Georgia) called on people not to lose themselves in a "sea of despair" following disheartening news about the Supreme Court. If anyone would know about doing the right thing and overcoming challenges, it'd be Lewis.

2. It's OK to be scared, but remember that history is made up of scared people who changed the world anyway.

Writer John Paul Brammer offered an important reminder about fear and channeling it into progress.

3. Keep your eyes forward.

Hindsight is 20/20, and "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda relayed an important message about looking to the past for inspiration about your own progress, not to stay within it.

4. Take a deep breath and know that others stand with you.

Newscaster Dan Rather shared some poignant thoughts on his Facebook page, calling on people to "turn to your left and right and see the long lines of fellow citizens" who share your drive to create change.

The Supreme Court! It is the scene of what is in essence a coup led by Mitch McConnell, who flaunted democratic norms to...

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5. It takes patience and impatience to create change in the world.

Let America Vote founder Jason Kander shared some words of wisdom from his time as Missouri's Secretary of State, touching on the importance of being impatient enough to resist complacency while still remaining patient enough to see your goals through to the end.

6. Hope is a choice we make — and so is despair.

Writers Ashley C. Ford and Steve Marmel simply reject the ideas of despair and hopelessness. You can, too.

7. Never stop fighting, even when the outcome looks certain.

Commentator and podcast host Erin Gloria Ryan offered a word of caution to people claiming the Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade case is in imminent danger, sharing a bit of history from 1992.

It's entirely possible that a more conservative court will move to overturn the ruling, but we shouldn't give up hope just yet.

8. If you lose hope, you lose. That's what your adversaries want.

Writer Alex Steffen reminds people that giving up on hope is the first step towards giving up altogether. "Embrace defiant optimism," he wrote.

9. Don't dismiss the whole as the result of a few. Small acts of good add up over time.

Author Celeste Ng asked her Twitter followers to promote inclusivity whenever possible. You may not win everyone over, but you'll surely find success with some.

10. The world sometimes takes two steps forward and one step back. If we stay focused, we can step forward once again.

Brittany Packnett believes people should look to the past — just not our own. "I come from people not meant to survive," she wrote.

As individuals, we might not be able to change much.

But as a unified force, we can make all the difference in the world.

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The Supreme Court won't admit the 'travel ban' is really a Muslim ban.

It is a sad week for religious liberty.

On Tuesday, June 26, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision upheld President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban nationals from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, North Korea, and Venezuela from entering the U.S.

In his opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the president has the right to bar entry to aliens to prevent any harm to the country’s national security. He also asserted the ban does not target, or discriminate, based on religion or race, and it just so happens to be coincidental that six of the countries banned are of a Muslim-majority.

But make no mistake: The “travel ban” is a Muslim ban.

Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images.

This shouldn't come as a surprise as the president himself has a long history of making disparaging anti-Muslim remarks under the guise of protecting national security.

And justices, politicians, celebrities, and American citizens are using their platforms to call the ban what it is: religious discrimination.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented that it is clearly evident that Trump’s ban was driven by his Islamophobic beliefs.

“Taking all the relevant evidence together, a reasonable observer would conclude that the proclamation was driven primarily by anti-Muslim animus, rather than by the government’s asserted national-security justifications,” Sotomayor wrote.

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), the deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee, also refers to this immigration policy as a “Muslim ban. “I call it a Muslim ban, because Trump called it a Muslim ban.”

Several other public officials joined Ellison’s sentiments and in his word choice. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) also expressed disappointment in the SCOTUS ruling.

The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert used humor to point out SCOTUS’ obliviousness.

SCOTUS failed to honestly, justly address Trump's Islamophobia.

It not only goes against true American values, but it diminishes the detrimental conditions this policy puts on people.

Referring to this policy as a “travel ban” merely suggests that the country are just barring tourists from entering the country. This ban is stripping families apart, in some cases, leaving relatives stranded in homes destroyed by airstrikes, or sometimes, to die in countries ravaged by war. And as the evidence shows, most of these countries are devastated by wars and armed conflict the U.S. has either initiated or been involved in.

Words matter. And even if SCOTUS will allow it, American won't let this slide.

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Supreme Court news getting you down? Get ready to vote this November.

No more 'meh' this time around.

Democratic voter turnout has been way up this year. Let's put that in a bit of historical context.

The New York Times has a great graphic showing how Democratic primary election turnout has changed between 2014 and 2018. Their analysis found that Democratic turnout is up in at least 123 congressional races. Republicans experienced a similar boost between 2006 and 2010, the year they picked up 63 congressional seats and took control of the House of Representatives.

The news in this last week of June 2018 — packed with controversial Supreme Court decisions and the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy — is in many ways the result of Republican enthusiasm in the 2010 and 2014 midterms. While a lot of Democrats are (probably rightly) feeling good about the energy they've seen so far (a trend that held up on June 27), it only matters if people actually show up in November.

Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Cynthia Nixon at Ocasio-Cortez's victory party. Photo by Scott Heins/Getty Images.

Midterm elections might not be as sexy as presidential ones, but they're just as important. Let's look at 2014, for example.

According to the United States Elections Project, just 36.7% of eligible voters cast ballots in 2014. People simply weren't excited about it or energized enough to get out and vote. Enthusiasm was so low that Pew Research dubbed it the "'meh' midterm." A lot of people sat the election out, and as a result, Republicans picked up nine Senate seats, giving them total control of Congress.

It also gave them the ability to deny Merrick Garland, Obama's 2016 nominee to the Supreme Court, hearings and a vote on his confirmation. Instead, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) kept the vacancy open long enough for Trump to take office a year later and install conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch on the Court, where he'll serve likely for the next 30 years or so.

The Supreme Court has been in the news a lot lately, with a lot of decisions coming down to a single justice.

Recently, the Court issued rulings on the legality of Trump's "Muslim Ban," the right for "crisis pregnancy centers" to trick people into thinking they provide services that they don't, and a question about union dues. Those were all 5-4 decisions with Gorsuch joining the conservative majority each time.

Would people have gotten out to vote in the "'meh' midterm" if they knew exactly what kind of long-term consequences awaited? Maybe. That's just the thing, though: When we vote, we're setting in motion a series of events that we can't ever fully understand at the time. There's no way to know how Garland would have ruled in any specific Supreme Court case (though there's reason to believe he would be significantly more moderate than Gorsuch), and there was no way of knowing at the time of the 2014 election that there would be another open seat on the court just two years later.

Just as Republican enthusiasm in 2014 arguably gave us Justice Gorsuch, Democratic energy this year could drive long-term change.

If Democrats can take back control of the Senate, as Republicans did in 2014, they could force Trump to nominate more moderate judges (and fewer paranormal investigators) to lifetime appointments. They'd be able to serve as a much-needed check on his powers — as the first 18 months of his presidency shows Republicans are unlikely to do.

The United States Supreme Court building. Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images.

The important thing to remember in all of this is that your vote matters in every election.

Some sit out elections as a way to "send a message," but what message is that exactly? There's no way to differentiate between non-voters who sit out elections because they have issues with one candidate or another and those who are simply apathetic to the political system as a whole. To the people in power, it makes no difference.

The same can probably be said for so-called "protest votes," in which someone casts a ballot for a candidate with no chance of winning, such as a fictional character or themselves.

Apathy can't win, and it's why it's so exciting when candidates with bold ideas like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are getting involved in politics and finding success. For some, like Ocasio-Cortez, the right to create a better world means running for Congress. For others, it means voting for candidates who share our values, marching in the streets, or volunteering for campaigns we believe in.

It's simple: Your vote matters in every election. Not sure if you're registered? Pop on over to usa.gov to check. This is an especially good idea given that there's been a recent uptick in states purging registered voters from their rolls on a variety of technicalities or instituting cumbersome new ID requirements. Both those actions are examples of voter suppression — attempts to disenfranchise voters (and it's important to fight back against those efforts as well). If you're not registered, you can figure out how to do it right on that website (each state has different rules and requirements).

Once you've got that all taken care of, the next step is to tell a friend or two about just how important the 2018 election will be.

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