Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson heads into a final round of questioning during her Supreme Court confirmation hearing on Wednesday after t...
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson heads into a final round of questioning during her Supreme Court confirmation hearing on Wednesday after two relatively straightforward days before the Senate Judiciary Committee that offered few surprises.
When the hearing begins at 9 a.m., the last two of the 22 senators on the committee will take their first 30-minute rounds of questioning before each senator then has a 20-minute follow-up question period.
But as senators prepare for their final opportunity to formally question Judge Jackson, there appears to be little ground left to examine her background after a hearing that spanned 1 p.m. on Tuesday.
Having already attended three previous Senate confirmation hearingsJudge Jackson appeared calm for much of Tuesday’s hearing, answering familiar questions and showing only momentary flashes of frustration with some Republican members on scrutiny of his record as a public defender and she handling cases of child sexual abuse.
She portrayed her view of a judge’s role as narrow, repeatedly saying she would “stay in my lane” and championed her career as both a public defender and a judge.
Even senators who have attacked parts of Justice Jackson’s career have often seemed to temper their criticism with praise for her record and the historic nature of her nomination, which looks set to make her the first black woman on the court. Many began by acknowledging his accomplishments before moving to a more confrontational tone.
With many questions about Judge Jackson’s thinking, such as her perspective on previous Supreme Court decisionsalready asked and answered, committee members may choose to focus on the future on Wednesday, possibly defining their positions on whether to support his nomination.
The Democrats, who must remain united to ensure the confirmation of Judge Jackson, could well spend Wednesday pleading their case with their colleagues. In hopes that some Republicans who have backed Judge Jackson in the past can do so again, committee Democrats could also appeal to some moderate republicans lay the groundwork for bipartisan confirmation.
Sen. Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois and chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said he hopes to move forward with a confirmation vote before the Senate goes into recess on April 8.
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