But conflict in Ukraine as well as Washington focused on could potentially disrupt plans and slow down its consideration. In addition, one Democrat, Senator Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, had a stroke was absent last month. Democrats will want all of their members on hand for the final vote in case they are needed.
After being briefed on Friday about the nomination, Democrats and their liberal allies presented Judge Jackson, a federal judge since 2013, as a flawless candidate who would provide valuable experience as a former public defender. She will make sure “the Supreme Court reflects the nation as a whole,” said New York Senator Chuck Schumer, Majority Leader.
“To be the first to make history in our country, you have to have an exceptional life story,” said Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, who, as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, will preside over pending confirmation hearings. in late March. “Judge Jackson’s accomplishments are well known to the Senate Judiciary Committee as we confirmed her to the D.C. less than a year ago with bipartisan support.”
Other Democrats said the fact that Judge Jackson was recently questioned by Republicans on the Judiciary Committee to secure her seat on the US Court of Appeals is a significant advantage.
“She gave as much as she got, very respectfully and gracefully,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat and commissioner. “She was just a workshop.”
While Republican lawmakers largely held the fire on Friday, party activists came out to denounce Justice Jackson within hours of her election. The Republican National Committee called her a “radical left activist” and released a document that anticipated the direction of the party’s attack, drawing attention to her decision to block an element of President Donald J. Trump’s restrictive immigration policy, her work as an attorney in a case brought by groups on advocacy for abortion rights, and her membership in the Cosmos Club, a private institution it called “the club of the Washington elite.”
The Senate could have confirmed Mr. Biden’s nomination to the Supreme Court without a single Republican vote, but he and his party would like to avoid that if possible — and Justice Jackson has enjoyed some Republican support in the past. Even before a judge was chosen, the President and Mr. Durbin reached out to Republicans they saw as potentially ready to support Biden’s candidacy, including Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah.