Shari Johnson/Publisher/Opinion
I do not always agree with any politician. Most, if not all have some type of agenda. But today, heavy on my heart, is the decision our Federal leaders are making with regard to the Supreme Court Justice Nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.
As a West Virginian I believe we have often looked at our State as one that had little effect on Washington D.C. But in the recent vote of Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, he turned the tides on the Senate when he voted no, against his constituents advice, on the infrastructure bill allowing it’s defeat. I thanked him for that vote and was impressed with the stand he was able to take. But that is not a general rule of the Democrat/Republican vote. It is so very often split right down the middle and the citizens are left holding a bag of dung with the results, and it’s usually on fire. The end result is more division and name calling.
This week the Representatives from the United States will not be United as they vote to confirm (or not) Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to become a Supreme Court of Appeals Justice.
Senator Manchin said in a statement this week, “After meeting with her, considering her record, and closely monitoring her testimony and questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, I have determined I intend to vote for her nomination to serve on the Supreme Court.”
I’m not quite sure how a man of supposed faith can vote for a woman that does not even believe the Bible. Man and woman is a pretty fundamental bible belief. She stated that she cannot define what a woman is because she is not a scientist. The five year olds on ”Kindergarten Cop” clearly defined to Arnold Schwarzenegger what the difference was. And yet this woman with all her education cannot tell the difference. She is also pro abortion and believes those charged with child pornography should have leniency in sentencing. And yet Joe Manchin is voting for her? What does that say about him? From my viewpoint, and it is opinion, he takes a stronger stance on money than he does God. I think the Lord will have something to say about that. And I think Christians should too.
Senator Shelley Moore Capito will stick to the party lines and vote no on Judge Jackson. She said in her statement this week: ”She will not support the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court.”
Capito, who also opposed Jackson’s nomination to the U,S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, said a major concern was some of Jackson’s previous decisions related to the separation of powers where she ruled in a “philosophical way” and may have been influenced by her own personal beliefs.
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Attorney General Morrisey Issues Statement on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Nomination to US Supreme Court
CHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey released the following statement in regard to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court:
“As the Senate prepares to vote on the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, I am calling on both of West Virginia’s Senators to oppose her lifetime appointment to our nation’s highest court.
Throughout the confirmation process, Judge Jackson showed an unwillingness to define her core judicial philosophy or otherwise meaningfully explain how she would decide cases. Judge Jackson failed to offer any description of her own judicial thinking beyond a barebones ‘methodology.’ That failure is no small thing: Americans—West Virginians included—deserve to know what values and principles a nominee will bring with them to the bench.
Rather than being upfront, Judge Jackson repeatedly refused to provide basic answers to straightforward questions—even declaring at times that she cannot answer because she is ‘not a biologist’ or ‘not a policymaker.’ Job titles aside, judges must make tough decisions touching on a variety of subjects. As a nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, she should be able to provide more clarity about her thinking. Vaguely promising ‘open-mindedness’ and ‘neutrality,’ as Judge Jackson has done, simply isn’t enough.
Judge Jackson’s record also appears inconsistent with West Virginia values. I find little comfort in decisions like United States v. Brown, in which Judge Jackson professed a ‘long-standing policy disagreement’ with part of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and then refused to apply it against a criminal defendant who had escaped from custody. Nor do I find any reassurance in Judge Jackson’s refusal to comment on the scope of the right to religious liberty. And Judge Jackson even refused to answer when asked if it is ever constitutional for a court to confiscate an individual’s firearms without due process. West Virginians deserve a Supreme Court justice who will punish criminals despite ‘policy disagreements,’ stand up against encroachments on religious liberty, and fight off attacks on our Second Amendment rights. That does not appear to be Judge Jackson.
Judge Jackson is undeniably well credentialed. But the position of Supreme Court justice requires more than an impressive resume. Given these and other concerns, I urge both our Senators to oppose Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination.”
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Whether it is County, State or National politics, we need to take note on who is voting and how they’re voting. Do they serve your best interest, or does their vote have more to do with an agenda of their own.
It’s once again time to call and write Senator Joe Manchin and remind him who it is he serves. I realize Judge Jackson’s nomination is ”historic.” But I do not care about her gender or her color, or anyone else’s. I care about her ability to make decisions on behalf of our Nation in a way that doesn’t make other Nations look at America and snicker because our leadership is dumber than a five year old.
