Bullied and Interrupted: Sexism, Racism at Judge Jackson Hearing

I am trying mightily to find nuggets of humor in the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Ketanji Brown Jackson. But it’s not easy.

True, there were a few flashes of comedy—like when Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) trotted out blowups of illustrations of babies in diapers from a children’s book that he found objectionable. (Cruz is often funny—unintentionally.)

But aside from that interlude of levity, the hearings left me profoundly depressed. Though we now expect Supreme Court nomination hearings to be contentious, partisan affairs, this one struck me as uniquely toxic and mean-spirited. And yes, that has to do with ...