From March 21 and 24, the United States Senate scheduled confirmation hearings for Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court nomination. In these hearings, the Senate Judiciary Committee asked Jackson questions based on her legal career as a district court judge.
The committee was made up of 22 members split evenly between Democrats and Republicans. Notable senators in this committee are Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker, Ben Sasse, and Dianne Feinstein.
After Jackson delivered her opening statement on March 21st, Democrats and Republicans both gave opening statements where Democrats mainly focused on Jackson’s qualifications and the importance of her nomination. Republicans however conveyed their concern over her previous rulings.
A highlight from the first of hearings was an exchange between Jackson and Ted Cruz. Cruz asked of Jackson her thoughts on the book “Antiracist Baby” and whether or not she believes that “babies are racist.” Jackson responded back saying she never read the book before and disagrees with making children feel they were racist.
On the second day, Jackson was questioned by both sides about her thoughts on a range of topics for 13 hours. Josh Hawley, a Republican senator from Missouri, claimed Jackson was much too tolerant in sentencing cases involving child pornography. Jackson confirmed her stance on her judgements, saying those crimes are “sickening” and saying her judgements were harsh enough.
On March 23, Jackson faced more questioning for 10 hours. This round of questions mainly dealt with her judgements on cases. Jackson stated that she will abstain from the Supreme Court’s review of Students for Fair Admission v. President and Fellows of Harvard College due to her position on the Harvard Board of Overseers. Senators on the committee were concerned over the possible conflict of interest it may have caused.
The final day of questioning had the committee hear from witnesses from the American Bar Association. Over 200 attorneys that worked with Jackson were interviewed by the committee. Her supporters proclaimed she was extremely knowledgeable in the law. Alabama’s Attorney General Steve Marshall also gave a testimony where Marshall did not acknowledge Joe Biden as the elected President of the United States.
On the fourth of April, the committee was tied on advancing Jackson’s nomination, where 11 voted against while 11 voted to continue. On April 7th however, Jackson was confirmed by the senate, 53-47. She will become the first black female to sit on the Supreme Court.
Alex Ross
Alex Rossis a third-year Communication student at Lock Haven with a focus in Journalism. This is his second year as an active member of the Eagle Eye and has been the Arts and Entertainment editor, News editor, and an active writer. He focuses on writing reviews for the A&E section, but has written stories for news, sports, and opinions. Outside of the newsroom, Alex enjoys record shopping, reading classic literature, and analyzing films. Alex hopes to work for a film or music news site as a writer or editor after graduation.