Judge Jackson's journey to the Supreme Court has been a personal moment for many

Judge Jackson's journey to the Supreme¹ Court has been a personal moment for many

Transcript²

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Dara Ferguson, incoming president of the Harvard Black Law Students Association, about the Senate confirming judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Never before was a Black woman confirmed to a seat on the Supreme Court until yesterday.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

VICE³ PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS: The yeas are 53. The nays⁴ are 47. And this nomination⁵ is confirmed.

(APPLAUSE)

INSKEEP: Vice President Harris, whose own election passed several milestones⁶, presided over the Senate vote for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's elevation⁷ to Justice Jackson. The people watching include the law student we have on the line, Dara Ferguson, who is the incoming president of the Harvard Black Law Students Association. Welcome to the program.

DARA FERGUSON: Thank you for having me, Steve.

INSKEEP: What kind of conversations have you and your fellow law students been having about this development?

FERGUSON: Well, this occasion is momentous⁸ for us - momentous for myself as a Black woman, momentous because Ketanji Brown Jackson, now Justice Jackson, walked the halls of Harvard Law School and was a part of a Black Law Student Association. And so to see her be nominated and then confirmed to the highest court is something that is inspiring. It shows us that the American dream is becoming more tangible⁹ for African Americans, especially descendants of slaves. And so, like, seeing her confirmation¹⁰ was something that was - that not only brought joy to a lot of people, but also something that just, like, gave us hope.

INSKEEP: Gave you hope - does this influence how you think about your own career?

FERGUSON: Yes, it does. As someone who is a current law student in her second year of law school, like, I do endeavor to be a judge. And seeing her confirmation and seeing how she was questioned gave me confidence that - despite the fact that I will be in a room and I will always be questioned, even if I have the stellar qualifications such as Justice Jackson - that I can make it through that process and that I can see it through to the other side.

INSKEEP: Did you feel like the questions were fair?

FERGUSON: I don't think that the questions were fair. I think that because of her qualifications - we see that she was overqualified, and as a Black woman, you see that you have to work twice as hard just to get a seat at the table. And we see that from her record, not only did she clerk on the Supreme Court, was she a public defender¹¹, did she go to Harvard Law School - she had all the checkmarks, but her character was still under play. She was asked questions about race that had nothing to do with her job. And I think that some of the questions were not fair.

INSKEEP: What did you think about when Senator Tom Cotton got his social media moment this week by saying on the Senate floor that she might defend Nazis¹²? I think he was referring to the fact that she'd been a public defender and trying to imply she'd been soft on crime and so forth¹³.

FERGUSON: I think that her role as a public defender is literally¹⁴ a lawyer for the people. And the Constitution necessitates¹⁵ that individuals have free legal counsel. And so I think that she would actually add balance to the bench. We have a lot of individuals on the bench who have been prosecutors¹⁶ and legal scholars. And so for that take to be said about her - and it's also a defamation¹⁷ of her character - was disgusting, but also just showed that, like, we don't know our own legal history. We don't really know the Constitution, and we don't understand how lawyers work.

INSKEEP: We were talking about the firsts of this confirmation - first Black woman on the Supreme Court - but I wonder if you have put your finger on something that is also significant, maybe almost as significant. It's kind of normal to have someone from Harvard on the Supreme Court - happens all the time. There are several justices with a Harvard background on the Supreme Court now. It is unusual to have a public defender in that role.

FERGUSON: Yes, it is.

INSKEEP: Do you think that that is part of the perspective that she will bring to this court, even though she's going to be, in terms of politics, in the minority? It is still a 6-3 conservative majority on this court.

FERGUSON: I think that everyone holds multiple identities, and no one's a singular identity. And because she has held many positions, one of them being a public defender - she's also been a judge, and I think that focusing on a singular aspect of her life when she's contributed so much to the law and to the profession is doing her disservice. And so, yes, she will bring her expertise¹⁸ as a public defender. She'll bring her expertise as a judge. And I believe that she'll be able to provide a fair account in operating on the Supreme Court. And I do believe that her service as a public defender will allow her to provide the perspective on clients who need free legal counsel.

INSKEEP: One of the things - she described herself almost as an originalist in these hearings. She said, my job is to interpret the words on the page, not to make new law. Do you think that she's a - maybe conservative is not quite the word, but less liberal than she was portrayed¹⁹ by her critics?

FERGUSON: I'm not sure whether I would put a label on her because we have yet to see how she operates in the Supreme Court. So I'm happy to see and read what her opinions look like, but I'm not sure at this moment.

INSKEEP: Dara Ferguson is currently earning her law degree at Harvard Law School and is the incoming president of the Harvard Black Law Students Association. Thanks so much.

FERGUSON: Thank you so much for your time, Steve.

INSKEEP: Enjoyed it.

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

4 nays   

n.反对票，投反对票者( nay的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The tally was two ayes and three nays. 投票结果是两票赞成，三票反对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The tally was three yeas and two nays, so the yeas have it. 投票结果是三票赞成两票反对，投赞成票者胜利。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

6 milestones   

n.重要事件( milestone的名词复数 )；重要阶段；转折点；里程碑

参考例句：

• Several important milestones in foreign policy have been passed by this Congress and they can be chalked up as major accomplishments. 这次代表大会通过了对外政策中几起划时代的事件，并且它们可作为主要成就记录下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dale: I really envy your milestones over the last few years, Don. 我真的很羡慕你在过去几年中所建立的丰功伟绩。 来自互联网

7 elevation   

n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高

参考例句：

• The house is at an elevation of 2,000 metres.那幢房子位于海拔两千米的高处。
• His elevation to the position of General Manager was announced yesterday.昨天宣布他晋升总经理职位。

8 momentous   

adj.重要的，重大的

参考例句：

• I am deeply honoured to be invited to this momentous occasion.能应邀出席如此重要的场合，我深感荣幸。
• The momentous news was that war had begun.重大的新闻是战争已经开始。

9 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

10 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

11 defender   

n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人

参考例句：

• He shouldered off a defender and shot at goal.他用肩膀挡开防守队员，然后射门。
• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。

12 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

14 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

15 necessitates   

使…成为必要，需要( necessitate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The increase in population necessitates a greater food supply. 人口的增加需要更多食物供应。
• Your proposal necessitates borrowing money. 你的提议使借款成为必要。

16 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

17 defamation   

n.诽谤；中伤

参考例句：

• Character defamation can be either oral or written.人格诽谤既可以是口头的也可以是书面的。
• The company sued for defamation.这个公司因受到诽谤而提起诉讼。

18 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

19 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》