WASHINGTON. Confirmation hearings for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson will begin March 21, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Wednesday, as the Supreme Court nominee began meetings with senators seeking bipartisan support from a polarized Senate.
The chairman, Senator Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, released the timeline and joined Senator Chuck Schumer, D-New York and Majority Leader, in urging Republicans to consider voting for Judge Jackson, even though nearly all of them voted against confirming her. last year as an appellate court.
“She deserves support from the other side of the aisle,” said Mr. Schumer, who repeatedly called the candidacy “amazing” after meeting her privately just outside the Senate floor. “I hope a large number of Republicans will vote for her, given who she is.”
Judge Jackson, 51, has already been confirmed three times in the Senate. The last time was in June, when she was voted 53 to 44 to the influential U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, in which she was supported by three Republicans.
However, the votes of even these Republicans are not guaranteed this time. The once routine strong bipartisan support of a candidate for the Supreme Court is a thing of the past. Changing that dynamic will require Judge Jackson, the first black woman ever appointed to the court, and Democrats to make a strong case that she is highly qualified and deserving of a seat on the court, even if Republicans see her as too liberal.
Considering the judge to be her own best advocate, Mr. Durbin said she would be available to all members of the Judiciary Committee prior to the upcoming hearing, as well as to other lawmakers who want one-on-one meetings. One Republican that Democrats see as a potential candidate to vote for Judge Jackson is Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who voted to confirm her last June. Miss Collins is due to meet with the judge next week.
“It’s absolutely essential that I sit down and interview her,” Ms Collins said on Wednesday.
Mr. Durbin said he contacted several other Republican senators who he thought might also vote for Judge Jackson. Democrats also say the extensive survey, which the White House returned to the Judiciary Committee on Monday, should help Republicans get a full picture of Judge Jackson, as it details her opinions in more than 500 county court cases and a host of other information.
“For those who want to know who she is and what she thinks, we have a lot of evidence,” Mr. Durbin said.
The 24 days between Ms. Jackson’s presidential nomination and the start of her hearings is about half the time for most nominations in the recent past, but Republicans set a new precedent of 16 days when they rushed Judge Amy Koni’s nomination. Barrett shortly before the 2020 presidential election.
“It’s hard for them to claim that we’re doing something special,” Mr. Durbin said.
Sen. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, a senior Republican on the Judiciary Committee, who met with Judge Jackson Wednesday afternoon, said his goal is “to have a fair trial, a decent trial.”
“I just think we are going to fulfill our constitutional duty of advice and concurrence with dignity, fairness and, most importantly, thoroughness,” he said.
Judge Jackson also met with Senator Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican and minority leader, who questioned what he calls her “thin” appellate record from a year on the appellate court, as well as her support from progressive activists who called for expand the nine-member court or make other changes to weaken the influence of its six-member Conservative majority.
“One has to wonder why these left-wing organizations have worked so hard to support Judge Jackson for this potential promotion,” Mr. McConnell said Tuesday ahead of his meeting with the candidate.
Participants in courtesy meetings tend to be silent about the details of the discussions, and Wednesday was no exception. But Doug Jones, the former Democratic senator from Alabama who serves as Judge Jackson’s Sherpa as he sees her through the Senate, said the first day went well.
“It was a very good day; very, very pleasant encounters,” Mr. Jones told reporters, saying the encounters so far have focused on her personal experience as well as what he called her “impeccable reputation.”
“It was a really good start,” Mr. Jones said. “And we’ve been looking to get that process started, and today was a good day to start it.”
Like others on both sides, Mr. Jones said he expects the upcoming hearing to be less tense and venomous than recent confirmation battles, especially the showdown with Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh.
“I think that would be very respectful, regardless of what may have happened in the past,” Mr. Jones said. “This is the testament I think for her more than anything.”
In keeping with the usual practice of making such bold statements, Mr. Durbin said that the first day would be devoted to opening remarks by Judge Jackson and those chosen to represent her, as well as hearings from the 22 members of the Judiciary Committee. The senators will then interrogate Judge Jackson over the next two days. Mr. Durbin said he hoped to conclude the hearing on March 24 after testimony from outside witnesses.
If all goes according to plan, the schedule will allow for a full Senate vote on the nominee before the two-week recess, which is due to begin on April 8. Acting by that date remains a goal for Senate Democrats, even as Judge Stephen J. Breyer, the judge Judge Jackson will replace, may not formally retire until this summer, when the current Supreme Court term expires.
“There’s no reason to wait,” said Mr. Durbin.
While they are increasingly hoping to win at least some Republican support for Judge Jackson, Democrats are determined to get her confirmed anyway.
“She belongs on the court,” Mr. Schumer said.