What could have been a procedural, historic U.S. Supreme Court confirmation for Ketanji Brown Jackson instead turned into a spectacle

The Hollywood Reporter

"I suppose the behavior displayed by Republican elected officials the past two days was to be expected," says Lovia Gyarkye of the first two days of Jackson's confirmation hearing. "The last three Supreme Court confirmations have primed Americans for a certain level of political theater — a mediocre drama of vengeance and score-settling that continues to erode confidence in the state. Jackson’s confirmation is but a microcosm of this legislative performance and posturing, but it is also an example of the cycles of humiliation and celebration Black women routinely experience — and a demonstration of how studying Black people’s reactions to racism has become its own kind of peculiar sport." Gyarkye adds: "In the process, the Black woman at the center of this theater gets lost. Her humanity takes a back seat, the nuances of her views scuttle out of sight. She becomes a representation, in the most artificial sense of the word."