Conclusions of the first day of confirmation hearings of the appointment of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court

Ketanji Brown Jackson before the Senate: My role as a judge is limited 4:48 (CNN) — Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearings to the Supreme Court began Monday with more than four hours of speeches from senators , presentations of Jackson by two of her colleagues and comments from the candidate herself. Jackson’s opening statement touched on her humble background and the gratitude she felt from her to those who propelled her rise in the legal world. She and her supporters emphasized the “independent” approach she brings to the court, while Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee argued her confirmation would make the high court more reflective of the country it serves. While they had previewed the parts of Jackson’s record they intend to scrutinize, Republicans launched a series of broadsides against Democrats over how they handled confirmations of Republican appointees. These are the conclusions of the first day. Biden picks Ketanji Brown Jackson to the US Supreme Court 6:36Ketanji Brown Jackson leans toward gratitude and humility Much of Jackson’s opening remarks focused on his upbringing and the gratitude he felt toward his parents and her faith. Giving “thank God,” he said: “The first of my many blessings is the fact that I was born into this great nation” in 1970, in the decade after Congress passed two major civil rights bills. Her name, “Ketanji Onyika,” means “lovely,” she told the Commission, an expression of her parents’ “pride in her heritage and hope for the future.” She recounted the interest in law she developed from seeing his father studying law, while praising the “excellent mentors” he had in high school and the judges he worked for. [Stephen] Breyer not only gave me the best job any young attorney could have, but also exemplifies what it means to be a Supreme Court justice of the highest level of skill and integrity, civility and grace,” he said, referring to the judge for the which worked and which would replace if confirmed. “I am extremely humbled to be considered for Judge Breyer’s position, and I know I could never take her place,” she added. “But if they confirm me, I hope to continue in the spirit of her.” Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is sworn in to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee during a confirmation hearing to join the Supreme Court on March 21, 2022. (Credit: Sarah Silbiger/CNN) Jackson promises an “independent” approach of the law, echoed by his supporters Ketanji Brown Jackson said he took his responsibility to uphold the Constitution and his “duty to be independent” “very seriously.” “I decide cases from a neutral position,” she said. “I assess the facts, interpret and apply the law to the facts of the case before me, without fear or favor, in accordance with my judicial oath.” That description of her approach comes as Republicans have criticized her refusal to align herself with a specific judicial philosophy, such as originalism or pragmatism. On Monday, a prominent conservative judge endorsed how she approached her role as a jurist. “Judge Jackson is an independent jurist who rules on the facts and the law and not on [un enfoque] partisan,” said retired Justice Thomas Griffith, a Republican appointee who served on the Washington Circuit Court of Appeals. “Time and time again he has shown that impartiality on the bench.” The ‘qualities’ of the Supreme Court candidates 2:30 Democrats Seek to Make Hearing a Case in Public Faith in Supreme Court Democrats repeatedly reminded their public hearing how much is at stake in these confirmation hearings, referencing major cases before a conservative-dominated Supreme Court that sought to connect the historic nature of Jackson’s appointment to the public’s faith in the Court.As is common in these hearings, Democratic senators touched on legal issues that resonate with their base, alluding to Supreme Court cases related to health care, abortion rights, gun control, and the environment.”The American people, our constituents… and their faith in the courts, that’s critical to our democracy,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont. “They lose their faith, then they lose democracy. The decisions made in our courts, and ultimately in the Supreme Court, affect the daily lives of each of us.” Because Jackson, if she is confirmed, will replace a fellow liberal, her appointment alone probably won’t change the 6-3 vote count from conservative to liberal on those various issues. But Democrats emphasized other ways that Jackson, through the demographic and professional diversity he would bring, will give the Court new perspectives and enrich the trust Americans place in it. “If confirmed, we will take another step to make our government better reflect the America it serves,” said Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat. Several Democrats touted her experience as a federal public defender, a first for a judge, and how it helps her “understand our justice system in a unique way, through the eyes of people who can’t afford a lawyer,” the senator said. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut. Republicans focused on Kavanaugh’s treatment by Democrats Related video: Protests for and against Brett Kavanaugh 1:49More than three years ago Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed after a series of tumultuous, high-octane hearings that tested the Judiciary Commission’s relationships. But despite the timing, his victory and the subsequent confirmation of another conservative justice, Republicans made it clear Monday that they cannot view Jackson’s nomination without the context of Kavanaugh’s. Even though Republicans have vowed to build on her writings, rulings and prior rulings, nearly every Republican member of the panel pledged to draw a line. “No Republican senator is going to launch a character attack on you when the hearing is practically over,” Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said in his opening statement, alluding to how late in the process it was when accusations against Kavanaugh were revealed. “I hope none of us have been waiting for information about you as a person for weeks or months. That you come to our offices and we never share the information with you to allow you to tell your side of the story. We wait at the last minute when the hearing is about about to celebrate, wrap up, and say, ‘Oh, by the way, we have this letter. Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa recounted how when he was chairman of the Judiciary Committee during the Kavanaugh hearings, he was yelled at so intensely in the courtroom that he was slow to deliver his initial comments. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas promised Jackson that Republicans would act differently than he said Democrats had during the Kavanaugh hearings. “I can assure you that your audience will not present any of that disgraceful behavior,” Cruz said. “No one is going to investigate your teenage dating habits. No one is going to ask you with mock sternness, ‘Do you like beer?’ But that’s not to say this hearing should be non-substantial and non-vigorous.” Lawmakers hint at where their questions for Jackson will go Amid blows against Democratic tactics in past confirmation hearings, Republicans gave a sneak peek at will explore their questions for Jackson.Several senators commented that they wanted more clarity on Jackson’s judicial philosophy, an area that senators like Josh Hawley of Missouri told CNN they researched in a private meeting with Jackson, but were still unclear. “What she told me is that she doesn’t consider having a judicial philosophy. You know, I don’t know if I believe that,” Hawley said. Hawley also anticipated a series of questions about how Jackson had sentenced a string of child pornography criminals that preceded her when she was a federal district court judge. Senator John Cornyn , of Texas, said he was “troubled” by Jackson’s advocacy on behalf of Guantanamo Bay detainees and the arguments Jackson “made on behalf of people who have committed terrorist acts against the United States and other dangerous criminals.” In what was perhaps the harshest opening statement by a Republican senator, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee suggested that Jackson had a “hidden agenda” that needed to be addressed, while listing vague concerns about critical race theory, mandates of school masks and allowing “violent criminals, murderous police officers and child predators back onto the streets.” Blackburn said Jackson had written about the as “personal hidden agendas” of the judges. The phrase comes from Jackson’s graduate thesis, where she wrote about the “hidden agendas” of “court professionals” that lead to coercive plea deals. Other Republicans argued they wanted Jackson to provide clear answers about where she stands on a litany of policy issues and the future of the court, including the left’s push to expand the number of justices. That’s an area that former Democratic Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama, who served as Jackson’s sherpa on Capitol Hill, said Jackson likely won’t answer. “Everyone understands that the size of the Supreme Court is an issue with this body, with Congress. It’s not with the Court, and I don’t think you’re going to see any candidate address that,” Jones said. Still, the opening statements provided a road map for Jackson’s team, and Monday offered one of the first public opportunities Democrats had to see where Republicans would take this confirmation hearing. “There are going to be some very good questions about her record. That’s what senators are for. She’s going to be prepared,” Jones said.