Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is making history as the first black woman to ever be nominated to the Supreme Court in its over 230 year history, and if confirmed she would become the first black woman to ever sit on the court.
While these hearings won’t be nearly as contentious as the past few under President Trump, both sides will try to use the hearings as a stage to send political messages to their bases. Here’s what you can expect from Judge Jackson’s confirmation hearings.
How to watch the Confirmation Hearings
- When: Monday March 21, 2022-Thursday March 24, 2022
- Time: Starts at 9am ET/ 8am CT Tuesday March 22-24, 2022
- Location: Senate Judiciary Committee
- How to Watch it: All the major networks including NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, C-SPAN. Most news outlets will also stream the hearings on Youtube.
- Format: On Monday, Judge Jackson and the 20 Senators on the committee gave their opening statements. On Tuesday, each Senator will get 30 minutes to question Judge Jackson, and they will get 20 more minutes on Wednesday to continue questioning. On Thursday, the committee will hear from outside witnesses about Judge Jackson’s nomination.
Judge Jackson’s life and career
Ketanji Brown was born on September 14, 1970 in Washington to public school teachers who both graduated from historically black colleges and universities. Brown and her family moved to Miami, Florida early in her life, and she graduated from Miami Palmetto Senior High School as a successful high school debater.
After graduating from high school in 1988, Jackson attended Harvard University where she studied government. She graduated in 1992 with an A.B. magna cum laude, and then attended Harvard Law School where she was an editor of the prestigious Harvard Law Review. She graduated in 1996 with a Juris Doctor cum laude.
After graduating from law school, Jackson clerked for several federal judges, and also clerked for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, someone she calls a mentor, from 1999 to 2000.
Source: The White House
After clerking for Justice Breyer, Jackson entered private legal practice from 2000-2003. She then served as an assistant special counsel to the United States Sentencing commission from 2003-2005, and then served as an assistant federal public defender in Washington D.C. for the the U.S. Court of Appeals in the D.C. circuit from 2005-2007
In 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Jackson to be the Vice Chair of the United States Sentencing commission, an independent agency that outlines U.S. Federal Sentencing guidelines in federal courts. She served from 2010-2014.
Jackson was nominated by President Obama to serve as a judge on the U.S. District court for Washington D.C.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Soon after being sworn in, President Joe Biden nominated Jackson to the all prestigious U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. circuit, a stepping stone to the U.S. Supreme Court, to fill the vacancy made by Merrick Garland who stepped down to be Attorney General of the United States. Jackson was confirmed to the court by a vote of 53-44, gaining the support of all 50 Democrat Senators as well as Republican Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AL).
What to Expect from the Confirmation Hearings
While most don’t expect Judge Jackson’s confirmation hearings to be nearly as contentious as the past couple have been under the Trump administration, many people do anticipate both parties to use the hearings as a stage to send political messages to their bases.
For Democrats, they will be using the hearings to bolster Jackson’s profile to the American people as a qualified judge and emphasize her credentials. They’ll also use the hearings to tout a promise that President Biden made back when he was running for President to appoint a black woman to the Supreme Court.
Republicans are going to use the hearings to scrutinize Judge Jackson’s record as a Judge and an Attorney. On Tuesday, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) pressed Jackson on her work as a public defender relating to detainees at Guantánamo Bay. Republicans have also focused on support Judge Jackson has gotten from “far left” groups, which some believe influenced President Biden’s decision to nominate Jackson over other contenders.
In order for Jackson to be confirmed by the Senate, she only requires a simple majority of Senators to vote in favor of her nomination. Based on the current composition of the Senate, only 50 Democrats need to vote in favor of Jackson, in addition to Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie breaking vote. Democrats will however try to get as many Republican votes as they can in an effort to have a bipartisan support, which Jackson has received before.