US Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson on Monday vowed to defend the “grand experiment of American democracy” as she launched a historic bid to be the first black woman on the nation’s highest judicial bench.
US President Joe Biden’s pick made the pledge as she was formally introduced at the start of televised hearings that include two days of questioning and a final day of testimony from outside witnesses.
“If I am confirmed, I commit to you that I will work productively to support and defend the constitution and the grand experiment of American democracy that has endured over these past 246 years,” the 51-year-old former public defender told the US Senate Judiciary Committee.
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A federal judge with almost a decade of experience in lower courts, Jackson previously served as a law clerk to Stephen Breyer, the retiring liberal justice she is being nominated to replace.
She is the first black woman tapped for a seat on the court and would also be the only nominee of a Democratic president to be confirmed since Elena Kagan in 2010.
She assured senators at the start of what can be a highly politically partisan process that she took her duty to be independent “very seriously” and always applied the law “without fear or favor.”
While the historic significance of Jackson’s nomination is enormous, the prospects for major drama are low, with a green light from the US Senate all but assured and the 6-3 conservative balance of the court not in play.
As the final word on all civil and criminal legal disputes, as well as guardian and interpreter of the constitution, the US Supreme Court seeks to ensure equal justice under the law.
From the beginning, both sides were on the defensive, with the committee’s Democratic chairman Dick Durbin seeking to discredit the claim that Jackson is not tough enough and praising her as a “champion for the rule of law.”
Republicans, including former committee chairmen Chuck Grassley and Lindsey Graham, defended their side against potential accusations that opposition to Jackson is racist or sexist.
“We’re all racist if we ask hard questions? It’s not going to fly with us,” Graham said.
In a marked contrast to the solemn atmosphere inside the hearing, supporters of Jackson staged a jubilant rally outside the nearby US Supreme Court, wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the judge’s image and waving placards.
Gospel choirs sang as people danced and chanted Jackson’s name at the demonstration staged by the National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, She Will Rise and the Black Women’s Roundtable.
All 22 senators on the committee were to question Jackson yesterday and today, while tomorrow’s hearing includes outside witnesses.
Democratic leaders plan a final Senate vote by early next month.
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