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Watch live as Senate Judiciary Committee begin hearing on Biden's Supreme Court nominee
Ketanji Brown Jackson, Joe Biden’s first Supreme Court nominee, is today appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the first of her confirmation hearings. The first Black woman to be nominated to the court, she will if confirmed replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer.
With the Democrats in control of the Senate and the court now heavily tilted in conservatives’ favour, Ms Brown Jackson – currently a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia – is expected to be confirmed barring some unforseen event.
However, some Republicans have lately begun attacking her for her past work as a public defender, focusing in particular on her work defending sexual offenders. Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, who sits on the Judiciary Committee, last week launched a broadside against her on Twitter, claiming without providing substantial context that “Judge Jackson has a pattern of letting child porn offenders off the hook for their appalling crimes, both as a judge and as a policymaker” and that “this is a record that endangers our children.”
Mr Hawley’s words and similar ones from other GOP senators have been widely criticised, with Democrat Tim Kaine describing them to The Independent as “wild claims”.
Recommended Who is Ketanji Brown Jackson? Notable opinions by high court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson How the White House has prepared for attacks on Ketanji Brown Jackson
Key points Judge is first Black woman nominated to Supreme Court If confirmed, Ms Brown Jackson will replace liberal Clinton appointee Stephen Breyer Some Republicans have attacked Ms Brown for record defending sexual offenders
Show latest update 1647877174 Grassley defends GOP tactics under criticism from Durbin
Sen Chuck Grassley, the Judiciary Committee’s ranking Republican, claimed that his party would seek to keep things civil at the hearings of Ketanji Brown Jackson after the panel’s chairman accused one GOP member of doing exactly the opposite.
Mr Grassley launched his own attacks against Democrats on the panel, blaming them for interrupting him during the hearings for Justice Brett Kavanaugh and for the complains from Democrats about the confirmation process under GOP control.
“We won’t try to turn this into a spectacle based upon alleged process fouls,” said Mr Grassley. "We're off to a very good start. Unlike the start to the Kavanaugh hearings."
John Bowden 21 March 2022 15:39
1647876649 Chairman rejects GOP claims that they plan to keep hearings civil
Dick Durbin tore into one of his GOP counterparts during his opening remarks on Monday and told viewers that Republicans had already failed in their attempts to remain civil amid Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation process.
Referencing a slew of accusations of that Ms Jackson was supposedly “soft on crime” from Sen Josh Hawley, Mr Durbin said that the senator’s actions “fly in the face” of the pledge to remain civil that ranking Republican member Chuck Grassley would make in his own statement moments later.
“These baseless charges are unfair,” Mr Durbin added.
John Bowden 21 March 2022 15:30
1647876365 Durbin says Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination proves American Dream is alive
Sen Dick Durbin, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, gave the first opening statement at Monday’s confirmation hearing for Ketanji Brown Jackson.
He concluded his speech by declaring that America was still a land of possibility, as evidenced by the nomination of the first Black woman to the Supreme Court.
"You are living witness to the fact that, in America, all is possible,” he told Ms Jackson.
John Bowden 21 March 2022 15:26
1647873856 Hearings to begin at 11
Hearings for Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation to the Supreme Court are set to begin at 11:00 a.m.
The hearings will be livestreamed as lawmakers of the Senate Judiciary Committee question Ms Jackson on her judicial record and legal philosophies.
Watch here:
John Bowden 21 March 2022 14:44
1647871111 Tim Kaine rejects Josh Hawley’s ‘wild claims’ about Ketanji Brown Jackson’s record
Sen Tim Kaine responded to Sen Josh Hawley in an interview with The Independent, calling his assertions about Ketanji Brown Jackson’s record “wild”.
The Virginia Democrat also responded to the claims of Republicans that Ms Jackson is “soft on crime”, which he called ridiculous in the face of her endorsement from the Fraternal Order of Police.
Read more in The Independent:
Tim Kaine pans GOP’s ‘wild’ attack on Biden’s SCOTUS pick Ketanji Brown Jackson Virginia Democrat points to judge’s support from notoriously right-leaning police union
John Bowden 21 March 2022 13:58
1647869909 Durbin on Hawley’s KBJ attacks
Dick Durbin, the Democratic chair of the Judiciary Committee, has laid into his Republican colleague Josh Hawley over the latter’s claims that Ms Brown Jackson has a record of being soft on child abusers – pointing out that Mr Hawley’s behaviour on 6 January 2021 leaves him in a difficult position when it comes to defending law and order.
Andrew Naughtie 21 March 2022 13:38
1647868074 Back and forth: Josh Hawley attacks nominee’s record on child sexual offenders
Because Ms Jackson’s confirmation would not substantially change the ideological makeup of the Supreme Court, Republican attacks on her were slow to develop and relatively mild compared to the frenzied atmosphere of the last two nomination processes.
That changed last week when Missouri Senator Josh Hawley launched an astonishing attack on the judge for supposedly being “soft” on child sexual offenders. This he did via a Twitter thread that offered precious little context for his claims; while other Republicans did not immediately join in, it has been reported that a document outlining a strategy to attack her on these grounds is circulating among GOP Judiciary Committee members.
Josh Hawley goes after Biden Supreme Court pick for record on sex offenders Comments suggest tough path ahead for bipartisan confirmation of first Black woman to the Court
The response from centrist and liberal commentators as well as Senate Democrats has ranged from appalled to derisory. Speaking to The Independent last week, Democrat Tim Kaine dismissed Mr Hawley’s remarks – and pointed out that Ms Jackson has been endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, rather undermining the claim she is soft on crime.
Tim Kaine pans GOP’s ‘wild’ attack on Biden’s SCOTUS pick Ketanji Brown Jackson Virginia Democrat points to judge’s support from notoriously right-leaning police union
Andrew Naughtie 21 March 2022 13:07
1647866274 Profile: who is Joe Biden’s first Supreme Court nominee?
Aside from dissections of her past opinions and interrogations over how she’d approach hypothetical cases, Ketanji Brown Jackson is likely to face the nomination process’s other feature: a dive into her personal and professional background, one that often goes beyond judicial experience. (Recall Ted Cruz asking Amy Coney Barrett about piano lessons, or Lindsey Graham asking Jewish nominee Elena Kagan where she was on Christmas Day).
For those seeking more on Ms Jackson’s background before the cross-examination begins, here’s a quick profile from Andrew Feinberg and Sravasti Dasgupta.
Who is Ketanji Brown Jackson? Ms Jackson would be the first Black woman on the Supreme Court
Andrew Naughtie 21 March 2022 12:37
1647864414 Ketanji Brown Jackson’s record: key opinions
One of the main focuses of any Supreme Court confirmation process is the nominee’s record of writing judicial opinions, which offer the clearest look at their thinking. Among those Ketanji Brown Jackson has written are opinions on the limits of presidential power, government deportation policies, and relations between companies and unions.
Here’s a rundown of some of her most important rulings from the bench.
Notable opinions by high court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson President Joe Biden's Supreme Court nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson, has been a federal appeals court judge for less than a year
Andrew Naughtie 21 March 2022 12:06
1647863332 White House prepares for attacks on KBJ
The early Republican attacks on Ketanji Brown Jackson have come from the party’s more hardcore senators, and have focused on two main themes: the supposed tokenism of Joe Biden’s promise to choose a Black woman, and Ms Brown Jackson’s record as a public defender, which right-wing Judiciary Committee member Josh Hawley claims indicates she is “soft” on child abusers.
The White House has, naturally, seen these attacks coming, and is ready. Here, Eric Garcia reports on what the Biden administration has been doing to prepare for them.
How the White House has prepared for attacks on Ketanji Brown Jackson The White House and its allies have highlighted Judge Jackson’s support from Republican nominees and police unions
Andrew Naughtie 21 March 2022 11:48
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