Ketanji Brown Jackson will face the first day of questioning members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday as a new poll emerges showing large numbers of Americans are not interested in the nomination and don’t care if it is confirmed or not.
Of the 2,005 registered voters polled in a Politico/Morning Consult poll released Tuesday, 34 percent don’t care or have any opinion about whether Jackson will be confirmed to replace Justice Stephen Breuer on the Supreme Court.
It remains to be seen if that view will change after candidates posed questions to senators on the first day, especially as the GOP is signaling they may have some aggressive lines of attack, including on Jackson’s track record of sentencing senators. child pornography.
Seventy-five percent of self-described Democrats want Jackson to be the first black woman on the United States Supreme Court. Instead of other Democrats actually opposing Jackson, 20 percent are indifferent to her claim, while only 5 percent of Democrats oppose it.
Only 23 percent of Republican voters want President Joe Biden’s candidacy to be confirmed.
Surprisingly, however, 41 percent of Republicans don’t know if they want it to go to the highest court, and 43 percent of independents think the same.
This may signal that Jackson is a “safe” candidate, as instead of opposition from Republicans and independents, she is met with smugness. It seems like an odd place for the first black woman to be nominated for the Supreme Court.
The numbers from the recent poll, which was conducted March 18-21, are similar to those for February, as voters are more distracted by economic issues such as inflation and gas prices than the Supreme Court candidate.
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson arrived at the Capitol for a second day of hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.
Republicans and independent voters are very indifferent to whether Jackson will be confirmed in the Supreme Court: 41% and 43% have no opinion about her nomination, respectively.
Biden’s nominee on Tuesday will face the first day of questioning by the commission, which will last until Wednesday.
On the first day of Monday’s hearing, Jackson and all 22 members of the Senate Judiciary Committee delivered opening statements.
Jackson, 51, has vowed to be an independent lawyer on the Supreme Court, ruling cases “without fear or favor” and emphasizing court neutrality as a way to preemptively fend off Republican criticism in the coming days.
“I know that my role as a judge is limited—that the Constitution authorizes me to decide only those cases and disputes that are properly presented,” Jackson said. “And I know that my judicial role is even more limited by the scrupulous observance of precedent.”
Jackson has served as a federal appeals judge since last year after serving as a federal district court judge for eight years.
She noted that her parents grew up in an era of racial segregation in the South, but said they taught her: “If I work hard and believe in myself, in America I can do whatever I want or be anyone.”
Biden promised during his 2020 candidacy that he would nominate a black woman if he had the opportunity, which Republicans criticized as a way to limit the pool of qualified candidates.
If confirmed, it would be the first time four women and two black referees have been on the bench.
Jackson will become the 116th high court judge in over 200 years, only the third black person and the first black woman.
Jackson had her first day of confirmation hearings before the Judiciary Committee on Monday and made history by appearing before the panel as the first black woman to be nominated to the Supreme Court.
In a 50-50 Senate, Democrats don’t need Republican support to put Jackson on the Supreme Court, as Vice President Kamala Harris would cast any casting vote.
But Democrats are hoping for a more bipartisan approach and are concerned that if even one of the Democrats backs out, it could thwart Jackson’s confirmation — an unlikely outcome at this stage.
After full days of interrogations on Tuesday and Wednesday, outside experts will testify about Jackson’s legal status and his theory before a panel on Thursday.
Democrats hope to confirm Jackson by April 8, before two weeks of spring break.
During opening statements Monday, Democrats hailed Biden’s historic selection and praised Jackson’s track record as a federal appeals and district court judge.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Jackson will have two days of interrogation by members of the commission. Pictured, the candidate leaves with her husband Patrick Jackson (left) after the first day of her confirmation hearing on Monday.
Some Republicans promised respect and praised Jackson’s qualifications, but others criticized her track record and tried to link her to left-wing advocacy groups. Others tried to portray her as “soft on crime”.
“I can only wonder: what are your hidden agendas?” asked Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. “To unleash violent criminals, cop killers, and kidnappers on the streets?”
Judicial Branch Chairman Dick Durbin said the attacks on Jackson’s approach to criminal justice issues were unfounded and said it was part of the Republican campaign theme for the November midterm elections.
Durbin, a Democrat, noted that law enforcement, including the Fraternal Police Order, backed Jackson’s candidacy.
The Senate has already confirmed Jackson to three other positions, most recently last year when Biden nominated her to the D.C. Court of Appeals.
Jackson grew up in Miami and was educated at Harvard. She was the clerk for Judge Breuer, whom she will replace when he announced his retirement earlier this year.
Her approval would not change the ideological balance in the Supreme Court, but would lower the median age and bring fresh liberal views to the court.
The 6-3 conservative majority includes three judges nominated by Biden’s Republican predecessor Donald Trump.