WASHINGTON (Fwrd Axis) — Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson appeared Tuesday at Capitol Hill for questioning from senators from both sides in what is likely the most important day in her Supreme Court confirmation process. Sitting and answering questions for over 14 hours, Jackson answered questions ranging from standard to outrageous.
In case you missed it, here are three main takeaways from Day 2 of the hearings:
GOP auditions continue
As mentioned on the first day of the hearing, Republican senators continued to audition ahead of a possible 2024 bid for the White House. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) pressed Jackson on critical race theory, a popular Republican talking point, and her views on it.
“It doesn’t come up in my work as a judge. It’s never something that I’ve studied or relied on,” she replied. “And it wouldn’t be something that I would rely on if I was on the Supreme Court.”
Cruz asked Jackson about the book “Antiracist Baby” and several other books, falsely claiming with no evidence that children are being taught to be racist.
“I do not believe any child should be made to feel that they’re racist or that they are not valued or that they are less than, that they’re victims or that they are oppressors,” she replied.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) focused all of his questions on the topic of child pornography cases, attempting to label Jackson as too lenient against defendants.
“It is heinous. It is egregious,” she said. “What a judge has to do is determine how to sentence defendants proportionally consistent with the elements that the statutes include, with the requirements that Congress has set forward.”
Court-packing schick
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) pressed Jackson on her work as a public defender, pressing her on detainees at Guantanamo Bay and asked about packing the court, something some progressive Democrats have called for in recent years.
“Respectfully, senator, other nominees to the Supreme Court have responded as I will, which is that it is a policy question for Congress,” Jackson said. “I am particularly mindful of not speaking to policy issues because I am so committed to staying in my lane for the system. And I’m just not willing to speak to issues that are properly in the province of this body.”
Democrats punch back
After a long day of Republican senators trying to twist Jackson’s character or attempt to catch her out on a certain issue, Democrats shot back and accused their Republican colleagues of playing a game with the confirmation process.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) slammed Republicans for blocking a vote on Merrick Garland, whose nomination process was held up 10 months “because of a politically driven agenda.”
“Let’s make history this week, but let’s not rewrite it,” he said.
