Monday was a historic day in the United States Senate, as the Senate Judiciary Committee began hearings to consider President Joe Biden's nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson—the first Black woman nominated to the United States Supreme Court.
The opening day of the hearings mostly featured general remarks from committee members on both sides of the aisle, as well as a brief opening statement from Judge Jackson at the conclusion of the hearings' first day.
Among those delivering remarks was far-right Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, who used the moment to smear "progressivism" with a laundry list of conservative grievances like transgender rights and, of course, critical race theory.
An advanced academic framework, critical race theory examines racism in the United States through the lens of how the effects of overtly racist policies of the past remain embedded in American society today, creating or exacerbating racial inequalities across economic, political, social, and educational sectors.
Republicans have slammed the theory as "racist" and unpatriotic, claiming that it's taught in secondary schools across the United States in an effort to sow resentment against white people.
Blackburn invoked these same bogeymen in her remarks to Judge Jackson.
Blackburn: Is it your personal hidden agenda to incorporate CRT into our legal system? pic.twitter.com/V0x3xd8EEr
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 21, 2022
Blackburn said:
"You have praised the 1619 Project, which argues the U.S. is a fundamentally racist country, and you have made clear that you believe judges must consider critical race theory when deciding how to sentence criminal defendants. Is it your personal hidden agenda to incorporate critical race theory into our legal system? These are answers that the American people need to know."
It won't be until later this week that Jackson gets the chance to respond to Blackburn's suggestions.
Social media users slammed Blackburn's accusation that the first Black woman Supreme Court nominee had a "hidden agenda" to promote a well-known and widely utilized academic lens.
It’s actually angering that a serious Black professional has to jump through hoops placed in front of her by buffoons with loose screws knocking around their brains https://t.co/Vadvu0n1WB
— Olayemi Olurin (@msolurin) March 21, 2022
“Personal hidden agenda”?!
I feel for KBJ to have to suffer through such idiocy. https://t.co/FsGdX9wLG9
— Katie S. Phang (@KatiePhang) March 21, 2022
Black folks gonna need some serious liquor to get through this hearing. Dang!! https://t.co/uUAoOK0K5P
— Holy Bullies (@holybullies) March 21, 2022
Yea @MarshaBlackburn. Your racism shows every time you speak! https://t.co/VA7Bs36LFT
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) March 21, 2022
I don’t know how we can hear such headassness and not get mobilized and mad as hell. https://t.co/onvG1kjK18
— Big Daddy, Uncle Mont (@BmoreHeartless) March 21, 2022
The worst thing about this noxious dishonesty being brought into every proceeding is that Democrats still keep acting like there is a possibility of any kind of bipartisan anything with these people who have committed themselves solely to constant lying to seize power. https://t.co/lf86dAIPwL
— Mx. Amadi “unwell anyway” Lovelace (@amaditalks) March 21, 2022
Some began speculating on the "personal hidden agenda" of Blackburn and the GOP.
Apparently it is @MarshaBlackburn personal "hidden" agenda to incorporate racism and stupidity into her term as senator #VoteThemAllOut https://t.co/JhdTHgWNo2
— Anne Wiles (@awileybert) March 21, 2022
Us: Is it your party's public agenda to conduct an illegal coup when you lose? https://t.co/bSllb9jQCi
— Ms. Imani Has Allergies (@ImaniKushan) March 21, 2022
Related: Is it Blackburn’s personal hidden agenda to dumb down the role of U.S. Senator so Tommy Tuberville doesn’t feel inferior? https://t.co/Y87zkMZaKi
— Bad Fox Graphics (@BadFoxGraphics) March 21, 2022
The Senate Judiciary Committee will reconvene tomorrow as Jackson's confirmation hearings continue.
