(UnitedVoice.com) – President Joe Biden has nominated Federal Appeals Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court (SCOTUS). If confirmed, she would take the seat of liberal Justice Stephen Breyer, retiring at 83 this summer. Senate confirmation hearings will take place to determine Jackson’s future.
Confirmation Hearings
The President’s judicial nominations go to the Senate Judiciary Committee, comprised of 11 Republicans and 11 Democrats. They will consider Biden’s latest nomination and vote on whether they approve of Jackson as the correct candidate. All nominees to the Supreme Court are subject to Senate confirmation.
On Friday, Senate Judiciary chair Dick Durbin (D-IL) said they would begin the confirmation process right away. Before the president nominated Judge Jackson, Durbin stated his aim to have the nominee confirmed before the Senate’s Easter recess on April 9.
Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said he would vote against the nominee in question. Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee could use procedural methods to hold up Jackson’s confirmation, but it is unlikely that they will do so. Ranking member Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) gave no inclination he would vote against Jackson during the confirmation hearings.
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
Judge Brown has served as a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia since 2021. If confirmed, Jackson would be the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. When first beginning her legal career, she had a clerkship with US Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer as a federal public defender in Washington. If confirmed, Jackson would be the sixth woman to ever serve on the Supreme Court. She would also be the first Black woman to hold this position.
With a current conservative majority of 6-3, Judge Jackson’s entrance into the Supreme Court would not shift the Republican tilt, but it would help ensure that a liberal justice would safely serve for several decades to come. Jackson will need at least 51 votes in order to be confirmed. The Constitution does not allow the vice president to break ties for appointments.
The Supreme Court plays a vital role in American life because they are directly involved in law-making, final appeals, and state and federal disputes. Democrats narrowly control the shift in votes on the Senate. Jackson’s confirmation as the next member of the Supreme Court seems likely. What implications will this new Supreme Court nominee have on our country?
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