Three Things for April 8
1. UN suspends Russia from Human Rights Council
On Thursday, April 7, the United Nations General Assembly voted to dismiss Russia from the Human Rights Council.
According to AP News, Russia is only the second country to have its membership rights revoked since the council was established in 2006.
This decision also makes Russia the first permanent nation on the Security Council to be removed from any body within the assembly.
“U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield launched the campaign to suspend Russia from its seat on the council in the wake of videos and photos of streets in the town of Bucha strewn with corpses of what appeared to be civilians after Russian soldiers retreated,” reports AP News.
The Human Rights Council released a resolution discussing their “grave concern at the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, particularly at the reports of violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law by the Russian Federation, including gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights.”
The motion to remove Russia from the council was approved with a two-thirds majority vote, according to AP News.
2. Tiger Woods makes Masters return after car wreck
Tiger Woods returns to the 2022 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia after suffering injuries from a car crash in February 2021. Woods’ right leg had to be surgically rebuilt after the accident.
“You know, 72 holes is a long road, and it’s going to be a tough challenge and a challenge that I’m up for,” said Woods.
According to AP News, the course is known to be physically taxing.
“The five-mile or so walk between the Georgia pines at Augusta National is 11,000-plus steps of up and down and up again. It requires hitting shots from uneven lies. Of digging into the pine straw when required. Of trying to peek over bunkers that can run so deep — as it does on the par-3 fourth hole — you need to jump if you’re going to see the flag,” reports AP News.
“I don’t have to worry about the ball striking or the game of golf, it’s actually just the hills out here,” said Woods. “That’s going to be the challenge, and it’s going to be a challenge of a major marathon.”
3. Judge Jackson becomes first Black female Supreme Court Justice
On Thursday, April 7, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson became the first Black woman to be approved as a Supreme Court Justice.
“Judge Jackson was confirmed on a 53-47 vote,” reports New York Times.
The confirmation process was riddled with party controversy. In the end, however, Democrats approved their choice for justice.
“Three Republicans — Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah — crossed party lines to support Judge Jackson, lending a modicum of bipartisanship to an otherwise bitterly polarized process,” reports New York Times.
President Joe Biden’s successful nominee satisfies supporters’ wish to welcome diversity to the Supreme Court.
“Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black woman to hold the position and one of just 11 Black senators in American history, presided over the vote — one historic figure presiding over the elevation of another — as senators stated their positions from their desks in a reflection of the magnitude of the moment,” reports New York Times.
Judge Jackson will replace Justice Stephen G. Breyer in the summer of 2022.
To learn more about the confirmation, read the full New York Times article.
