Andrew Chung and Lawrence Hurley

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden’s selection https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-announce-us-supreme-court-pick-friday-white-house-sources-2022-02-25 on Friday of Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman U.S. Supreme Court nominee immediately thrusts the federal appeals court judge into the center of America’s coarsening argument on race.

Of the 115 people https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/institution.aspx#:~:text=Since%20the%20formation%20of%20the,an%20average%20of%2016%20years who have ever served on America’s top judicial body, all but three have been white, only two have been Black and both of those were men. Biden and many fellow Democrats have sought to make the case that naming a Black woman is long overdue https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/01/27/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-retirement-of-supreme-court-justice-stephen-breyer, but some Republicans have accused him of discrimination for refusing to consider any men or any non-Black women for the job.

It’s tough luck being a white man. You’re lucky if your gender is white. Ted Cruz is the senator who represents Senator Ted Cruz on the Senate Judiciary Committee. He said that you don’t “qualify” for this nomination. Roger Wicker (a Republican) called Biden’s commitment to nominating a Black woman “affirmative of racial discrimination.”

Jackson won over Leondra Kruger (a California Supreme Court judge) and Michelle Childs (a South Carolina federal judge).

Since America’s founding, race has been a source of division. This includes past slavery and discrimination against Black people. These divisions continue to persist. The Democrats now focus more on the eradication of centuries of antiblack racism in America, while Republicans argue more that racism is a systemic problem that affects more white Americans.

Fatima Graves, Chief Executive of the National Women’s Law Center, stated that naming a Black woman before the court is an indication that America has made progress on racism.

Graves explained that the court will seat a Black woman for the very first time when it begins its next session. Her presence will be a reminder to the country about the possible progress and she will start the work of breaking down stereotypes of Black women at leadership levels.

The percentage of America’s population that is white is continuing to decline, according to U.S. census https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/08/improved-race-ethnicity-measures-reveal-united-states-population-much-more-multiracial.html figures. The population of the United States is 61.6 percent white; 18.7% Hispanic; 12.4% Black. Other minority groups have smaller numbers.

The Supreme Court has been a scene of race-related debates, and conservative justices have long expressed doubts about past policies that would address racial discrimination.

The Supreme Court’s next term will begin in October and the issue of race will be a major focus. Jackson, if confirmed by the Senate would take over from retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. He would also participate in cases where race is central. Current court has a conservative minority of 6-3 and includes one Black member: conservative Clarence Thomas.

In order to improve campus diversity, colleges and universities could eliminate affirmative actions policies.

Alabama will defend a Republican-backed map of U.S. House of Representatives district that was drawn, a lower court ruled, to reduce the influence of Black voters. This ruling may further undermine the Voting Rights Act. It was enacted during the turbulent times of the U.S. Civil rights Movement in 1965 to safeguard minority voting rights.

The Senate must confirm Biden’s nominee. It is split 50-50 between both parties and requires a simple majority vote. Because Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democratic representative can vote to break a tie, the chamber is controlled by Democrats.

‘AN INSPIRATION’

The nomination has a profound significance for some Americans.

Kimberly Peeler Allen, the co-founder and president of Higher Heights for America (a group that encourages Black women to lead), compared the organization with the 1967 appointment of Thurgood Marsh as Black justice. Thomas was the second.

Peeler Allen stated that “to see someone like yourself… is an inspiring for millions of other people.”

Jim Clyburn (Democratic U.S. Congressman) was key in getting Biden to name a Black woman on the court in 2020. He stressed the impact such an appointment would have. Clyburn stated that it would inform every child who grew up in poverty “you have just as many chances to benefit from the greatness and power of this country than everybody else.”

Clyburn stated, “That’s what I had with Candida Biden when he was running to be president,”

Harris was the first Black U.S. vice-president. He stressed the importance of making sure that the court reflected all perspectives when it made decisions.

Harris explained to Telemundo that Harris suggested that the idea of a Black woman serving on the court was about making sure that decisions are made that are representative of the experience and opinions of all Americans.

James Ho was a Republican-appointed judge on the New Orleans-based Federal Appeals Court. He gave a speech Feb. 15, defending an academic who suggested on Twitter (NYSE.) that Biden’s Supreme Court nominee should be “lesser-black woman.”

Ho condemned the practice of using racial preference in student admissions, hiring and judicial appointments. He also stated that “the first step to fighting racial disparity is to cease practicing it.”

These reactions to Biden’s vow reflect increasing differences between Democrats, Republicans, on civil rights issues, according to John Sides of Vanderbilt University.

Sides stated that “attacks on Biden’s plan are consistent in a political landscape where Democrats believe they can take affirmative steps for resolving racial inequity while Republicans consider those steps as illegal.”

Recent incidents have highlighted the rise in racial tensions in America, particularly after the murder of George Floyd (a Black man) by a Minneapolis officer. Trump was also accused of following policies that were based on “white grievance” during his presidency 2017-2021.

There have been heated debates in the United States about initiatives to improve workplace racial diversity and racial awareness training, as well as the teaching of U.S. History and Race Relations in Public Schools. Republican legislators and some parent groups accused public school boards in the United States of teaching critical race theory, an academic framework that is used primarily in law schools for analysis and critiques on racism within U.S. institutions and law.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted October and found that six out of ten Republican respondents agreed to the statement that American whites were being attacked. A majority of Democrats agreed. Half of Republicans agreed that U.S. minority were treated fairly. This compares to just one fifth Democrats.

Republicans may be at risk from attacks on Biden’s nominee as the Senate confirms.

Gregg Nunziata, an ex-staffer at the Republican Judiciary Committee stated: “Anybody that we are discussing is likely to have qualifications – and Republicans will understand that attacking in person wouldn’t do any good for their party or would be harmful.”

Nunziata pointed out that many Republicans have already used “unfortunate phrases that reflect poorly on themselves.”