A tearful Democratic New Jersey Senator Cory Booker said Wednesday during the confirmation hearing of Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson that he was emotional when hearing she was nominated for the position.
During his comments, Booker said he was dismayed with the tone taken by some of his GOP colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee while questioning Judge Jackson.
Booker is one of only three Black senators and the only Black senator on the committee. He shared the emotion he felt after her nomination.
"I want to tell you when I look at you, this is why I get emotional," Booker said, speaking to Jackson.
"I'm sorry — you're a person that is so much more than your race and gender.”
Jackson wiped away tears while Booker spoke, acknowledging her as a Christian, a mother, an intellect, and more than her race and gender.
Booker went on in his remarks to mention the film "Hidden Figures" and how it elevates the work Black women did with the NASA program, finally giving them the recognition they did not receive at the time.
Booker mentioned Jackson's parents and their patriotism, even though their country "didn't love them back."
"All these people loved their country," Booker said.
The senator went on to share his shock at some of the comments made by other senators on the committee during their remarks or questioning.
"You faced insults here that were shocking to me — well, actually not shocking," Booker said. "But you are here because of that kind of love, and nobody is taking that away from me."
Questioning of Jackson did become heated at several points, especially when committee chair Senator Dick Durbin moved on from Senator Ted Cruz before Jackson could answer his final question.
Other questions from senators seemed to stun the judge, including one asked by Senator Lindsey Graham in which he wanted her to rate her religious faith on a scale of 1 to 10.
On March 28, the committee plans to meet in executive session on Jackson's nomination. That means the committee's rules would allow the vote to be pushed, at the latest, to April 4.
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