McConnell: Biden’s Supreme Court pick a favorite of ‘far-left’
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Republicans would conduct a thorough review of President Biden’s Supreme Court Justice nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson, while striving to avoid personal attacks.
But that doesn’t mean he’s likely to vote for the first Black woman to ever sit on the nation’s highest court.
“I understand that she has published a total of two opinions, both in the last few weeks, and that one of her prior rulings was just reversed by a unanimous panel of her present colleagues on the D.C. Circuit,” McConnell said in a statement Friday following Biden’s announcement of Jackson as his selection to replace Justice Stephen Breyer. “I also understand Judge Jackson was the favored choice of far-left dark-money groups that have spent years attacking the legitimacy and structure of the Court itself.”
McConnell’s referring to a 2019 case in which Jackson, 51, barred the Department of Homeland Security from enforcing its expedited removal process. The D.C. Circuit Court unanimously reversed Jackson, arguing that Congress gave the department “sole and unreviewable discretion.”
McConnell voted against confirming Jackson to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit last year, leaving little room to believe he’d elevate her to the Supreme Court. Still, McConnell has signaled he wants a process to unfold without the drama that consumed the hearings of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was accused of sexual misconduct and assault.
“Senate Republicans believe the Court and the country deserve better than Senate Democrats’ routine of baseless smears and shameless distortions,” McConnell said. “The Senate must conduct a rigorous, exhaustive review of Judge Jackson’s nomination as befits a lifetime appointment to our highest Court. This is especially crucial as American families face major crises that connect directly to our legal system, such as skyrocketing violent crime and open borders.”
Kentucky’s junior senator, Rand Paul, has also said that Republicans should avoid politically poisonous hearings, especially given the historic nature of Jackson’s selection.
Charles Booker, a Democrat running against Paul this year, heralded Jackson for cracking the ceiling as a “proven and well-qualified leader.”
“Considering the efforts in recent years by Mitch McConnell to pack the court, it is essential that the next justice be a proven warrior for civil rights and justice,” Booker, who is also Black, said. “The nominee must understand the ills of structural racism, and show a clear dedication to making sure the law does not ignore the humanity of all people, especially our most marginalized and disadvantaged. Judge Jackson has the historic chance to rise to that responsibility, and I urge the members of the Senate to review her record and experience with the same consideration afforded to Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh, and every other person serving in this esteemed role.”
Democrats won’t need the votes of McConnell, Paul or any Republican, as long as they secure the support of every member of their own caucus.
Jackson is expected to begin visiting with senators when Congress returns next week. Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on Jackson’s nomination will likely begin in mid to late March, with Democrats hoping to confirm her to the bench by April.
This story was originally published February 25, 2022 at 1:03 PM with the headline "McConnell: Biden’s Supreme Court pick a favorite of ‘far-left’."
