Senate Democrats gear up to secure Supreme Court confirmation win

by · Washington Examiner

Senate Democrats are preparing to move full speed ahead with the confirmation process for President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, with top lawmakers aiming to conclude confirmation hearings by the end of the month and a vote expected in April.

Biden announced he selected Jackson, a Harvard University graduate confirmed last year as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, late last month, with Democratic leadership applauding his decision to make good on his vow to appoint the first black female to the high court. In the wake of the announcement, Democratic leaders have allotted for roughly a six-week time frame to confirm her to the position being vacated by retiring Justice Stephen Breyer.

Top Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley of Iowa, have called for “a rigorous, exhaustive review” of her record. Democrats have called for a swift confirmation but have chosen to lay out a slightly longer timeline than the process to confirm now-Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a 2020 Trump nominee.

The hearings are scheduled to take place over four days, according to a schedule released by Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin of Illinois, with opening statements expected to take place on March 21, questioning slated to happen on March 22 and 23, and testimony from the American Bar Association and outside witnesses on March 24.

In the wake of being tapped by Biden, Jackson has quickly begun the process of meeting with key lawmakers in advance of the hearings. The nominee huddled with Schumer and McConnell on March 2, sitting down with Durbin and Grassley shortly after, touting her credentials as she looks to gain support.

“She talked about how she spent a year working for Time magazine. Chuck [Schumer] used to read that magazine as a kid — he loved that. [She] talked about their time in college, too,” a source with knowledge of the discussion told the Washington Examiner.

With the Senate rules having been changed by Republicans in 2017 to allow Supreme Court nominees to get confirmed to the Supreme Court with a simple majority, it eases the path for the majority in securing judges into the lifetime posts — often to the dismay of the opposing party.

A handful of conservatives voiced reservations about Jackson's record shortly after Biden’s announcement, with South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham arguing that her nomination over Judge J. Michelle Childs “means the radical Left has won President Biden.”

But despite criticisms emerging within the GOP, sources close to Democratic leadership told the Washington Examiner that they are confident the caucus will remain unified in its support.

Republicans have vowed mainly to review her record respectfully and hear from her before casting their votes, with some accusing Democrats of failing to extend the same level of respect to GOP nominees in the past.

Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist who previously served as a top aide to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, said he’s confident in Durbin’s ability to head the process but added he has concerns over the approach certain conservatives may take as they look to broaden support within their base.

“My question is how certain Republicans operate. Two things I'm watching for is how the handful of Republicans on the committee who are thinking about running for president handle all of this in the weeks to come, whether they're going to be throwing red meat to the base or whether they're going to allow some dignified hearings to be conducted,” he said in an interview.

“No. 2, I'll be interested to see how the outside groups deal with all of this, many of whom rely on situations like this to goose their base and juice up their fundraising operation,” he added.

“It's very clear to me Sen. McConnell doesn't rock the boat too terribly in the weeks and months or in the months leading up to the election,' he said. "And you know, he's smart enough to realize that if Democrats hold together, you know, she's going to be confirmed. But again, one of the wild cards here is how some of his members are thinking about running for president to deal with all of it."

Jackson was successfully confirmed to the D.C. Circuit with the support of three Republicans, including Graham and Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska last year. However, the lawmakers have not committed to backing her confirmation to the highest court in the land.