Donald Trump has attacked Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, criticizing her refusal to define the word “woman” during Senate confirmation hearings.
At a rally in Commerce, Georgia, on Saturday night, Trump addressed the sensitive issue that has sparked controversy following transgender swimmer Lia Thomas’ NCAA title.
“The left has become so extreme that now a Supreme Court judge is being nominated who has testified under oath that she cannot say what a woman is,” Trump said.
“If she can’t even tell what a woman is. How on earth can she be trusted to say what the Constitution is?’
Donald Trump has attacked Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, criticizing her refusal to define the word “woman” during Senate confirmation hearings
“A party that, for all scientific and human history, is unwilling to admit that men and women are biologically different is a party that should not be near the levers of power,” Trump added.
During this week’s Senate hearings, Jackson repeatedly refused to define “woman” when questioned by Republicans pushing the issue.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Senator Marsha Blackburn quoted the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as saying, “Physical differences between men and women persist. The two sexes are not interchangeable. A community that consists solely of one gender is different from a community that consists of both.’
“Do you agree with Justice Ginsburg that there are permanent physical differences between men and women?” asked the senator.
When Jackson claimed she’d never heard the quote, Blackburn asked directly, “Can you define the word ‘woman’?”
‘Can I give a definition?’ Jackson answered.
“No, I can’t,” she explained, before adding, “I’m not a biologist.”
During this week’s Senate hearings, Jackson repeatedly refused to define “woman” when questioned by Republicans, saying she is “not a biologist.”
Current members of the Supreme Court pose for a group photo in April. Jackson would replace Judge Stephen Breyer (seated, second from right), who is retiring
Conservative pundits and elected Republicans have taken up the issue in their criticism of Jackson, perhaps viewing her position as different from that of many Americans.
Republicans have also focused on Jackson’s sentencing practices in a handful of cases involving heinous sex crimes or child pornography.
Of Jackson’s 100 convictions in eight years as a trial judge, Republicans focused on seven child pornography counts in which they deemed her sentences too lenient.
However, reviewers from the American Bar Association dismissed those claims, saying there was “no evidence” to support claims that Jackson’s sentencing practices were outside of the mainstream and insisting she was well-qualified for the Supreme Court.
Despite Republican objections, Jackson’s confirmation in the parity-split Senate now seems secure.
Sen. Joe Manchin announced Friday that he plans to vote for Jackson, likely paving the way for President Joe Biden’s historic nominee to be confirmed.
But Democrat hopes of securing significant Republican support for Jackson’s nomination appear to be fading.
At a rally in Commerce, Georgia, on Saturday night, Trump took up the sensitive issue to criticize Jackson and the Democrats
The West Virginia Democrat was an important vote to watch because he has opposed his party on some of its key domestic political priorities.
But he has yet to vote against one of Biden’s candidates for justice, and he said he will also support Jackson, who would become the first black woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
“I am confident that Justice Jackson is superbly qualified and has the disposition necessary to serve as our nation’s next Supreme Court Justice,” Manchin said in a statement released after four days of Senate Judiciary Committee hearings.
He also noted that her family had spent time in West Virginia and “her deep love for our state and dedication to public service was abundantly clear.”
Manchin’s announcement suggests Jackson will likely have the support of all 50 Senate Democrats. Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who has joined Manchin to vote against large parts of Biden’s domestic political agenda, has not yet said if she will support it.
But she, too, has supported all presidential nominees for judges, including Jackson for the federal Circuit Court of Appeals last year.
A unified Democratic caucus would guarantee Jackson’s confirmation in the 50-50 Senate as Vice President Kamala Harris could break a tie.
Still, it seems unlikely that Democrats will confirm her with a robust bipartisan vote, daunting Biden’s hopes of a grand restart after partisan fighting over other Supreme Court nominees.