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Ketanji Brown Jackson vows to be a neutral arbiter if confirmed to Supreme Court

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Reporter Insight: A Supreme Court hearing is...
Jackson gives opening statement: ‘I decide cases from a neutral posture’
Booker said Jackson’s nomination helps diversify the federal courts like never before
Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson delivered her opening remarks during the first day of her confirmation proceedings on March 21. (Video: The Washington Post, Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
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Updated March 22, 2022 at 1:04 p.m. EDT|Published March 21, 2022 at 7:24 a.m. EDT

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson told the Senate Judiciary Committee she will work to defend the Constitution and American democracy if she is confirmed to the Supreme Court, in her opening remarks to the panel on the first of four days of confirmation hearings.

“I have been a judge for nearly a decade now, and I take that responsibility and my duty to be independent very seriously,” Jackson said. “I decide cases from a neutral posture. I evaluate the facts, and I interpret and apply the law to the facts of the case before me, without fear or favor, consistent with my judicial oath.”

Chairman Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) said it was “a proud day for America” as the panel considered the nomination of Jackson, a historic choice by President Biden as he moves to fulfill his pledge to put the first Black woman on the Supreme Court in its 233-year history.  
Reporter Insight: A Supreme Court hearing is...
Jackson gives opening statement: ‘I decide cases from a neutral posture’
Booker said Jackson’s nomination helps diversify the federal courts like never before

Here’s what to know

  • On Tuesday and Wednesday, committee members will question Jackson. Thursday will feature testimony from outside witnesses. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) told Jackson he hopes for “a candid conversation.”
  • Democrats are highlighting the historic nature of Jackson’s nomination. “The appointment of a Black woman to the United States Supreme Court, let’s be very blunt, should have happened years ago,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said.
  • Besides being the first Black woman nominated to the court, Jackson also brings other less-common experiences, including service as a public defender. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) called that service “very significant and important.”
  • Sen. Mike Lee (Utah) is among the Republicans who have sought to draw a contrast between the tone of the hearings for Jackson and those for Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh. “Engaging in the politics of personal destruction is not something we should ever aspire to,” Lee said.
  • Jackson, 51, has been nominated by Biden to replace retiring Justice Stephen G. Breyer. Breyer, the high court’s oldest justice, has been a reliable liberal vote. Several Democrats praised his tenure. Sen. Christopher A. Coons (Del.) called him “a model of a Supreme Court justice.”
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Here's what to know:

On Tuesday and Wednesday, committee members will question Jackson. Thursday will feature testimony from outside witnesses. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) told Jackson he hopes for “a candid conversation.”
Democrats are highlighting the historic nature of Jackson’s nomination. “The appointment of a Black woman to the United States Supreme Court, let’s be very blunt, should have happened years ago,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said.
Besides being the first Black woman nominated to the court, Jackson also brings other less-common experiences, including service as a public defender. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) called that service “very significant and important.”
Sen. Mike Lee (Utah) is among the Republicans who have sought to draw a contrast between the tone of the hearings for Jackson and those for Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh. “Engaging in the politics of personal destruction is not something we should ever aspire to,” Lee said.
Jackson, 51, has been nominated by Biden to replace retiring Justice Stephen G. Breyer. Breyer, the high court’s oldest justice, has been a reliable liberal vote. Several Democrats praised his tenure. Sen. Christopher A. Coons (Del.) called him “a model of a Supreme Court justice.”

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