Confirmation hearings for Ketanji Brown Jackson begin Monday. Here’s what to expect

Confirmation negotiations begin Monday for Ketanji Brown Jackson, Federal Judge President Biden has chosen to fill the seat of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer when he retires this summer.

Democrats are hoping to complete Jackson’s confirmation process before leaving Congress for Easter Sunday, April 11th.

The hearings, led by the Senate Judiciary Committee, are expected to last four days, with Jackson appearing before lawmakers during the first three. She will give an opening statement on Monday and then ask questions from lawmakers on Tuesday and Wednesday. After a period which usually lasts one week or so after the auditions to consider the nomination, the committee will then hold a vote, and if approved, send the nomination to the nomination. full Senate for consideration.

If confirmed, Jackson will be the first black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. She entered the hearings with a large and expansive career as a judge and lawyer.

The hearing process takes four days

Monday: Hearings begin at 11 a.m. EDT, with the opening of 10-minute statements by Justice Committee Chairman Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin, along with ranking member Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, according to a press release. The other 20 members of the committee will also make statements, and the day will end with Jackson’s opening statement, which will last 10 minutes.

Tuesday and Wednesday: Both days start at 9 am EDT. Committee members receive 30 minutes of question time every Tuesday and 20 minutes on Wednesdays. Jackson’s question on Wednesday is expected to be shorter.

Thursday: Jackson will not appear on the last day of the hearings. From 9 a.m. EDT, the Committee of External Witnesses in the American Bar Association will hear.

NPR.org will provide live coverage and analysis of the hearings.

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Supreme Court hearings have a historical legacy

The Senate Judiciary Committee will ultimately agree on whether to nominate a nominee for the remainder of the Upper House for a final debate and vote, so hearings are a high step in the process. They help shape the case of a nominee and are where reservations or important questions often come to light.

To her potential advantage, Jackson appeared before the same group of lawmakers just a year ago when the committee reviewed her nomination to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. Finally, the Senate confirmed Jackson, who also received yes votes from Republican senators Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Lindsey Graham. Of those three, only Graham holds a seat on the Judiciary Committee.

Despite its strong candidacy and the beauty of bipartisan support shown last year, Jackson’s future battle is expected to be more challenging. Although the confirmation process was formerly seen as a cross-party effort, it has turned into a controversial and violent partisan process.

In 2017, Republicans acquitted Filibuster’s Supreme Court nominees in hopes of quickly confirming Neil Gorsuch’s Supreme Court decision. The change means Republicans will approve it with a simple majority vote rather than clear a 60-vote threshold – which they did further in favor of the affirmative votes of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

Almost 5 years later, Democrats could use the policy change to their advantage. With a slim majority of 50 members and Vice President Kamala Harris presiding over the Senate, Democrats have enough support to theoretically confirm Jackson along party lines.

Despite support at the DC Circuit Court level, some Republicans remain undecided

No Republican senator publicly supports Jackson, who has met with Senate lawmakers in recent weeks, a process that is common with all Supreme Court nominees.

As for the Republicans who voted yes last year to their nomination to the federal court, Collins reportedly had a “long and very productive conversation” with Jackson, but has yet to say publicly how she will vote.

Murkowski is more reserved, calling the trial “another game,” as if she had voted to confirm Jackson to the DC Circuit Court.

“The difference is, you have nine people sitting on the highest court in the country who are there for life, and it requires a level of scrutiny and scrutiny that is consistent with the position,” Murkowski said.

Graham chooses to stay pretty quiet – a change from his vocal opposition the day Jackson’s nomination was announced.

“Just stay tuned for the hearing, and I’ll tell you how I vote when I vote,” Graham told reporters after a brief meeting with Jackson, which he described as “good.”

Ahead of the auditions, some Republicans are stepping up their attacks on Jackson

Republicans will likely refer to Jackson’s involvement in allotted cases involving individuals imprisoned in Guantánamo Bay while she worked as a public defender and in private practice.

Republicans have pushed her forward, both during her confirmation hearing to serve on the DC Circuit court last year and during her 2012 nomination to be a federal judge.

Especially if they are from Sen. Asked Grassley in 2012, Jackson stood by her actions.

“In all those situations,” Jackson said, “the opinions expressed were the opinions of my clients that I represented them in that capacity and the shorts did not necessarily represent my personal views on the war against. the terror or something. ”

In recent weeks, Republicans have come out even stronger against Jackson’s past criminal record, trying to paint her as soft on criminal insults.

“Their supporters look at their summary and decide a particular empathy for criminals,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said last week on Senate floor.

“I think that means prosecutors and innocent crime victims are starting every trial at a disadvantage. This is not my claim. That’s what the nominated liberal supporters say.” he added.

Last week, Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, who sits on the Judiciary Committee, publicly condemned Jackson’s work in cases involving child sex crimes. In an extensive Twitter thread, the Missouri Republican accused her of “letting child pornography off the hook” while she was a federal judge, and he posted further screenshots of previous statements she made during those cases.

Senator Durbin quickly condemned the claims – calling them “outrageous.” The White House characterizes Hawley’s statements as misleading and misleading.

“This is toxic and poorly presented misinformation that hangs on cherry-picked elements of their record out of context,” White House Deputy Secretary of State Andrew Bates said said“it buckles under the lightest control.”

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