Washington – Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Thursday he will oppose Judge Nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court.
“I cannot and will not support Judge Jackson for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court,” McConnell said in a Senate speech.
The Kentucky Republican cited Jackson’s response to the addition of seats in the Supreme Court as a reason for his opposition – a proposal he declined to comment on. your record both in the federal district court and in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit.
“Judge Jackson was the choice of the court packers, and she said so,” McConnell said.
Bloomberg
During her two-day testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, Jackson, who is the first black woman nominated in high court, has repeatedly declined to comment on proposals to increase the size of the Senate. Supreme Court, which has been defended by progressive judicial groups that are in favor of his nomination.
“Other candidates for this Supreme Court have responded as I will, which is a political issue for Congress and I am especially aware of not talking about political issues because I am very committed to staying in my system lane because I just am not willing to talk about issues that are duly in the province of this body, “he said.
McConnell also indicated that Jackson has an all-too-low record for his next year on the DC circuit. During his tenure there, he has issued two written decisions, which McConnell contrasted with the number of opinions of the judges. Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanugh i Amy Coney Barrett during his years on the federal court of appeals.
Jackson has authored more than 570 decisions during his tenure on the federal bench, the vast majority of which are from his eight-year term in the Washington Federal District Court. Still, McConnell said some of his decisions there, that is, his conviction, are “worrying.”
Some Republican senators have criticized Jackson for his history of convicting child pornography offenders and imposing more lenient sentences than federal guidelines.
Widely pressured on the issue during her confirmation hearings, Jackson defended her decisions and said she acted within the parameters set by Congress under federal law.
“I have law enforcement in my family. I’m a mother who has daughters, who took these cases home to me at night because they’re very graphic in terms of the kind of pictures you’re describing,” he said, and she added that she “is fully aware of the seriousness of this crime, and also of my obligation to take into account all the different aspects of the crime as required by Congress and I took a serious decision in each case.” .
McConnell’s opposition to Jackson’s nomination is not a surprise, as he opposed his confirmation at the DC Circuit last year.
Jackson can get Senate approval in the Supreme Court without Republican support if he has the support of the 50 Democratic senators, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tiebreaker vote. However, the White House has hoped that its confirmation will be bipartisan.
McConnell’s announcement comes less than 24 hours after Jackson completed two grueling days of questioning the 22 members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The panel is expected to vote to advance its full Senate nomination on April 4, and Democratic Senate leaders expect the final confirmation vote to take place before they leave for a two-week break on April 8. .
If confirmed, he will replace retiring Judge Stephen Breyer, and his appointment will not alter the ideological division of the court.
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