History was made the instant Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the first Black woman nominated to the Supreme Court.President Joe Biden promised he would choose a Black woman for the job and the 51-year-old Harvard-trained Jackson emerged as an early favorite, having won support from the Senate several times before, including a year ago to be an appellate court judge. Democrats have the potential votes in the 50-50 Senate to confirm Jackson, to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, even if all Republicans line up opposed.Some takeaways from Monday’s session, the first day of Jackson’s confirmation hearing:HISTORY IS MADE“Today is a proud day for America,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the committee chairman, as he opened the historic hearing.It’s taken 233 years to arrive at this moment, the first Black woman nominated to be a justice on the Supreme Court, which once upheld racial segregation in America. Senators on the Republican side are criticizing Jackson’s record as too soft on crime.Jackson would be the first federal public defender on the court.DEFENDING ‘GRAND EXPERIMENT OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY’Jackson told the senators that if confirmed to the court, she would work “to support and defend the Constitution and this grand experiment of American democracy.”The judge’s own life story is part of that history. She told senators that she stands before them on the shoulders of giants — including her own parents, public school teachers, who left segregated Florida for a better life in Washington, D.C.She was born in the aftermath of the civil rights era, and her parents gave her an African name — “Ketanji Onyika,” which they were told means “lovely one,” she explained. They taught her that unlike the barriers they faced, that if she worked hard, “I could do anything or be anything I wanted to be.”The judge is no stranger to the committee, having been confirmed three times before. Senators have said over and again what a pleasure it has been meeting one-on-one with Jackson, who is open and engaging. Her family and friends sat behind her, including her husband of 25 years, surgeon Patrick Jackson, and two daughters. One of her daughters once drafted a letter to Barack Obama, saying her mom should be nominated for the court.The audience also was filled with the nation’s leading civil rights leaders and representatives of the Congressional Black Caucus.A judge now for the past 10 years, Jackson told the senators she decides cases from a “neutral posture” after evaluating the facts applying the law “without fear or favor.” JUDGING THE JUDGE, AND THE SENATORSWhile Jackson is the one appearing before the Judiciary Committee, the senators are also being judged in how they handle her historic nomination — particularly those potentially running for president in 2024.Potential presidential hopeful Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., set the tone even before the hearings began, raising concerns that Jackson gave child pornography defendants lighter sentences than required.“I’m not interested in trying to play gotcha,” Hawley said as he laid out his concerns Monday, “I’m interested in her answers.”Fact checkers have said Hawley is selectively choosing the cases, including many in which prosecutors in fact also sought more lenient sentences than federal sentencing guidelines.“There have been some accusations that we cherry-picked some of Judge Jackson’s criminal cases,” Grassley said. “Don’t worry. We’re going to talk about the other ones, too.”
History was made the instant Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the first Black woman nominated to the Supreme Court.
President Joe Biden promised he would choose a Black woman for the job and the 51-year-old Harvard-trained Jackson emerged as an early favorite, having won support from the Senate several times before, including a year ago to be an appellate court judge. Democrats have the potential votes in the 50-50 Senate to confirm Jackson, to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, even if all Republicans line up opposed.
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Some takeaways from Monday’s session, the first day of Jackson’s confirmation hearing:
HISTORY IS MADE
“Today is a proud day for America,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the committee chairman, as he opened the historic hearing.
It’s taken 233 years to arrive at this moment, the first Black woman nominated to be a justice on the Supreme Court, which once upheld racial segregation in America.
Senators on the Republican side are criticizing Jackson’s record as too soft on crime.
Jackson would be the first federal public defender on the court.
DEFENDING ‘GRAND EXPERIMENT OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY’
Jackson told the senators that if confirmed to the court, she would work “to support and defend the Constitution and this grand experiment of American democracy.”
The judge’s own life story is part of that history. She told senators that she stands before them on the shoulders of giants — including her own parents, public school teachers, who left segregated Florida for a better life in Washington, D.C.
She was born in the aftermath of the civil rights era, and her parents gave her an African name — “Ketanji Onyika,” which they were told means “lovely one,” she explained. They taught her that unlike the barriers they faced, that if she worked hard, “I could do anything or be anything I wanted to be.”
The judge is no stranger to the committee, having been confirmed three times before. Senators have said over and again what a pleasure it has been meeting one-on-one with Jackson, who is open and engaging. Her family and friends sat behind her, including her husband of 25 years, surgeon Patrick Jackson, and two daughters. One of her daughters once drafted a letter to Barack Obama, saying her mom should be nominated for the court.
The audience also was filled with the nation’s leading civil rights leaders and representatives of the Congressional Black Caucus.
A judge now for the past 10 years, Jackson told the senators she decides cases from a “neutral posture” after evaluating the facts applying the law “without fear or favor.”
JUDGING THE JUDGE, AND THE SENATORS
While Jackson is the one appearing before the Judiciary Committee, the senators are also being judged in how they handle her historic nomination — particularly those potentially running for president in 2024.
Potential presidential hopeful Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., set the tone even before the hearings began, raising concerns that Jackson gave child pornography defendants lighter sentences than required.
“I’m not interested in trying to play gotcha,” Hawley said as he laid out his concerns Monday, “I’m interested in her answers.”
Fact checkers have said Hawley is selectively choosing the cases, including many in which prosecutors in fact also sought more lenient sentences than federal sentencing guidelines.
“There have been some accusations that we cherry-picked some of Judge Jackson’s criminal cases,” Grassley said. “Don’t worry. We’re going to talk about the other ones, too.”
