SCOTUS nominee finishes Senate hearing

After three days of questioning, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s hearing ended with four hours of testimony from legal experts, government officials, and civil rights groups who supported her, along with conservative advocates who opposed her. The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote April 4, with a final confirmation vote in the full Senate before Easter. The liberal justice would take the seat of retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, maintaining the current 6-3 conservative majority on the court.

What were the notable moments? Republicans questioned Jackson on sentences given to child pornography offenders during her nine years as a federal judge, legal advocacy on behalf of suspected terrorists, critical race theory, and her religious views. GOP lawmakers painted her as soft on crime, while Democrats said she was empathetic to the disadvantaged. She says she is a Christian and a mom and that justice should be served. Several times, Jackson declined to share her personal opinions about issues such as abortion or court-packing because she said a nominee should not prejudge an issue. When asked if she could provide a definition for the word “woman,” she answered, “No, I can’t. Not in this context. I'm not a biologist.” She also said she would recuse herself from an upcoming case over Harvard’s admissions policies because it is her alma mater and because she is on the Board of Overseers.

Dig deeper: Listen to Mary Reichard’s report in The World and Everything in It on what to expect from Jackson’s legal decisions.