Confirmation Hearings Begin For Supreme Court Nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Confirmation hearings got underway Monday for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Joe Biden's nominee to be an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

President Joe Biden announced the historic selection of Jackson to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer.

With the nomination, Jackson became the first Black woman to be selected for the high court and if confirmed by the evenly divided Senate, she will be the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

On Monday, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee made statements, as did the judge.

Jackson told the senators that if confirmed to the court, she would work "to support and defend the Constitution and the grand experiment of American democracy."

The judge's own life story is part of that history. She told senators that she stands before them on the shoulders of giants — including her own parents, public school teachers, who left segregated Florida for a better life in Washington, D.C.

She was born in the aftermath of the civil rights era, and her parents gave her an African name — "Ketanji Onyika," which they were told means "lovely one," she explained. They taught her that unlike the barriers they faced, that if she worked hard, "I could do anything or be anything I wanted to be."

The judge is no stranger to the committee, having been confirmed three times before. Senators have said over and again what a pleasure it has been meeting one-on-one with Jackson, who is open and engaging. Her family and friends sat behind her, including her husband of 25 years, surgeon Patrick Jackson, and two daughters. One of her daughters once drafted a letter to Barack Obama, saying her mom should be nominated for the court.

The audience also was filled with the nation's leading civil rights leaders and representatives of the Congressional Black Caucus.

A judge now for the past 10 years, Jackson told the senators she decides cases from a "neutral posture" after evaluating the facts applying the law "without fear or favor."

Jackson will field questions from the 11 Senate Democrats and 11 Senate Republicans starting Tuesday. Each senator has 30 minutes to question her.

Democrats have the slightest margin to confirm Jackson, but it's not clear if any Republicans will vote with them.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he will be watching the hearings before deciding if he will support Judge Jackson.

"It will be a respectful, deep-dive into her record, which I think is entirely appropriate for a lifetime appointment," he said.

So far, no Republican has committed to supporting her nomination.

Jackson has deep roots in Miami-Dade, where she went to school.

Born in Washington D.C., Jackson was a star student at Miami Palmetto Senior High School in Pinecrest. During her time there, she was a star member of the debate team and student body president. She was also a Silver Knight Award nominee.

After graduating from Palmetto High, Jackson went on to Harvard.

Jackson has worked as a federal public defender and for the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

Mr. Biden selected her to replace Attorney General Merrick Garland on the influential U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, considered to be the nation's second most powerful court, in March 2021. Three Republicans joined Democrats to confirm her seat.

Jackson has been praised by defense attorney groups.

The American Bar Association gave her its highest rating of "well qualified," but some Republican leaders, last week, questioned her record on protecting children.

"I'm not aware of a single case in which Judge Jackson has actually sentenced a child porn offender to the recommended sentence that the guidelines the federal guidelines say they should get," said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri.

The White House called the criticism toxic and weak.

"This attack that we've seen over the last couple of days relies on factual inaccuracies and taking judge Jackson's record wildly out of context," said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

Durbin says Judge Jackson is still on track to have a full Senate vote on her confirmation by Easter.