Ketanji Brown Jackson nears SCOTUS confirmation

Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is on track to be confirmed in the coming days, according to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL). 

Judge Jackson has enough support to be confirmed with at least 53 votes. All 50 Democrats, in addition to Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mitt Romney (R-UT), and Susan Collins (R-ME) say they’ll support her nomination. The three Republicans expressed similar sentiments when explaining why they’ll vote in favor of Judge Jackson. 

“My support rests on Judge Jackson’s qualifications, which no one questions,” Murkowski said in a statement. “It also rests on my rejection of the corrosive politicization of the review process for Supreme Court nominees, which, on both sides of the aisle, is growing worse and more detached from reality by the year. While I have not and will not agree with all of Judge Jackson’s decisions and opinions, her approach to cases is carefully considered and is generally well-reasoned.”

Most Senate Republicans have continued to criticize Judge Jackson, saying she has a history of giving criminals lenient sentences.

“Judge Jackson will coddle criminals and terrorists, and she will twist or ignore the law to reach the result that she wants,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said during a speech on the Senate floor. 

Democrats contend Judge Jackson’s experience on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, as a public defender, and Supreme Court clerk make her highly qualified.

“Judge Jackson is an outstanding nominee. She has earned support across the political and ideological spectrum. And her qualifications are second to none,” said Chairman Durbin.

If confirmed, Jackson will be the first Black woman to sit on the nation’s highest court.