Ketanji Jackson Will Write ‘A New Page’ in U.S. History: Senate Hearing Told
As the Senate opened hearings on Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, a poll found more than half of Americans supported the choice.
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The Hon. Ketanji Brown Jackson. Courtesy US District Court, Wash., DC
Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is writing a “new page” in the history of the nation, said Sen. Patrick Leahy in the opening round of Senate hearings Monday.
“She will become the first-ever justice to have served as a public defender,” Leahy said. But he noted earlier, “she’s not soft on crime,” anticipating arguments of opponents.
Support by progressive leftwing groups backed by “dark money” raises concerns about Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s impartiality, claimed Senate Judiciary ranking member Sen. Charles Grassley Monday.
In his opening statement, Grassley said “track record” was important in judging a nominee’s fitness for serving on the High Court.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden praised Jackson’s “brilliant legal mind” in the runup to what could be a contentious week of hearings on her nomination.
Jackson “deserves to be confirmed as the next Justice of the Supreme Court,” Biden said in a tweet, as members of the Senate Judicial Committee opened hearings Monday, reported The Washington Post.
Biden’s comments came as a new poll reported that a majority of Americans say Jackson should be confirmed as an associate justice of the Supreme Court.
According to the new Monmouth University poll, 55 percent of respondents say Jackson should be confirmed. Twenty-one percent said she should not be confirmed, while 24 percent offer no opinion.
Meanwhile, 53 percent approved of Biden’s promise to name a Black woman as his first Supreme Court nominee, while 41 percent disapprove of him making this a primary factor in his choice.
Jackson is widely expected to be confirmed, but GOP lawmakers are gearing up for a tense grilling over her record as a public defender.
