Senate Judiciary Committee hearings for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson start today. The Miami native will give an opening statement. She will then take questions from lawmakers on Tuesday and Wednesday.
President Joe Biden nominated Jackson to the Supreme Court following the announced retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer earlier this year. In the month leading up to the hearing, Jackson has met with Senators on both sides of the aisle, including those from her home state of Florida. After a meeting with Senator Marco Rubio he stated that their conversation “did nothing to ease my concerns.”
If the past is a guide, Jackson’s nomination will likely prove contentious. Hearings over the appointments of conservatives Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh included controversy, though they were ultimately approved.
This four-day-long hearing will begin with opening statements from Senate Judiciary Committee members as well as Jackson. The next two days will be reserved for questions from the committee, with the final day consisting of testimony from the American Bar Association and additional outside witnesses.
About a week after the hearing, the committee will hold a vote on whether to send the nomination to the full Senate for approval.
The evenly divided Senate will be tasked with officially confirming Jackson. If there’s a 50-50 split, then Vice President Kamala Harris will be the deciding vote and Jackson will become the first Black woman on the high court in the nation’s history.
