SCOTUS nominee has majority support but takes hard questions in Senate
(The Center Square) – The majority of Americans support President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court nominee, a new poll shows.
Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to replace Justice Stephen Breyer, who announced his retirement last month. Gallup polling released Wednesday showed above average support for Jackson.
“Fifty-eight percent of Americans say the Senate should vote in favor of Jackson serving on the Supreme Court,” Gallup said. “Only current Chief Justice John Roberts, at 59% in 2005, had a level of support on par with that for Jackson. Most other nominees had support in the low 50% range, with five below that mark.”
The feelings about Jackson, though, are largely split along party lines.
“The new poll finds 88% of Democrats, 55% of independents and 31% of Republicans saying the Senate should vote to confirm Jackson,” Gallup said. “The majority of Republicans, 55%, are opposed.”
The polling data was collected before March 18, so those feelings may swing one way or the other this week as Jackson sits for intense questioning from lawmakers. Wednesday marks the third day of hearings in the U.S. Senate.
Jackson has taken criticism over allegations that she has been soft on child porn trafficking cases in her career.
“The White House’s whataboutist response to Judge Jackson’s very real record in child pornography cases is dismissive, dangerous, and offensive,” U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said ahead of the hearing. “We need real answers.”
Jackson stepped into more controversy late Tuesday for her answer to a question from Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., who asked Jackson to give a definition of the word “woman.”
Jackson said she could not.
“Not in this context,” she said. “I’m not a biologist.”
Blackburn shot back in what became a viral moment of the hearings.
“So, you believe the meaning of the word ’woman’ is so unclear and controversial that you can’t give me a definition?” Blackburn asked.
Jackson has taken fire for her response.
“Senator, in my work as a judge, what I do is I address disputes,” Jackson said. “If there’s a dispute about a definition, people make arguments, and I look at the law and I decide.”
“The fact that you can’t give me a straight answer about something as fundamental as what a woman is underscores the dangers of the kind of progressive education that we are hearing about,” Blackburn shot back.
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