After Tense Hearing, Jackson Appears To Have Senate Votes For Confirmation
Leaders of both parties tell The Washington Post that Democrats still seem to be fairly united in support of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Joe Biden's nominee for the Supreme Court, and she may get some Republican votes, too. Meanwhile, the court is releasing little information about the health of Justice Clarence Thomas, who was hospitalized last week.
The Washington Post:
Ketanji Brown Jackson Appears ‘On Track’ For Confirmation, Senators Say
After a combined 36 hours of hearings on Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson — during which Republicans accused her of coddling vile criminals while Democrats hailed her qualifications and her historic distinction as the first Black woman to be nominated — she appeared to remain on track for confirmation early next month, according to interviews with key senators Thursday. Jackson’s confirmation will not be overwhelmingly bipartisan, and the top Senate Republican vote-counter, Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.), predicted no more than three GOP votes in her favor. (DeBonis, 3/24)
The Hill:
McConnell To Vote Against Jackson's Supreme Court Nomination
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Thursday that he will oppose Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's Supreme Court nomination. McConnell's decision isn't surprising — he voted against her last year for her appeals court spot and has signaled concerns through the week. But it underscores hardening GOP opposition to Jackson's nomination and comes after McConnell held off in announcing how he would vote until after the hearing. (Carney, 3/24)
Politico:
The 9 Potential Senate Swing Votes On Ketanji Brown Jackson's Confirmation
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is on a relatively smooth path to becoming the first Black woman on the Supreme Court after three days of Senate confirmation hearings that have run the gamut in tone, from tense to rowdy to emotionally supportive. ... Some Republicans recently suggested that they’re torn between supporting Jackson’s historic nomination and voting no based on opposition to her judicial philosophy. A few in that group are retiring this year, freeing them from the potential political risks of backing her nomination, although a vote to confirm Jackson would roil the GOP primaries currently underway to replace them. (Levine and Everett, 3/24)
The Hill:
GOP Shoots Down Supreme Court Boycott
Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee are shooting down the idea of boycotting the panel’s vote on Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson. “There’s not going to be any boycott. There’s zero, not one iota chance that we would boycott,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a member of the committee. The idea of a committee boycott, which has floated around Capitol Hill for weeks, was spun up after 10 Republicans sent Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the committee chairman, a request that he suspend the hearing until they could get pre-sentencing reports tied to child pornography cases that Jackson presided over as a district judge. (Carney, 3/24)
The Washington Post:
Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Striking Non-Endorsement Of ‘Super Precedents’
When Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearings haven’t devolved into tense battles over her rather unremarkable sentencing decisions in child pornography cases, they’ve actually included some pretty interesting exchanges on her judicial philosophy. And subtly high on that list: How much she undercut the left’s effort to establish certain cases as “super precedents.” (Blake, 3/24)
In other news about the Supreme Court —
The Hill:
Supreme Court Silent On Thomas Health Status
The Supreme Court on Thursday did not respond to inquiries about the health status of Justice Clarence Thomas and whether he remained hospitalized after being admitted late last week. ... Thomas’s close friend Armstrong Williams on Thursday told The Hill that Thomas is “resting and he’s going to be just fine” but declined to elaborate further on the justice’s health. Pressed on whether Thomas was still in the hospital, Williams declined to answer. (Kruzel, 3/24)
NPR:
Supreme Court Backs A Prisoner Who Sought His Pastor's Touch At The Time Of Execution
The [Supreme Court] ruled Thursday that condemned prisoners are entitled to have religious advisers present in the death chamber to pray over them and touch them in a limited way. The decision came in the case of John Henry Ramirez, convicted in the brutal murder of Pablo Castro, a father of nine, who was stabbed to death as he was closing up the convenience store where he worked. The court's decision was the latest and by far the most definitive in a series of cases that have come to to the court, dividing the justices and even embarrassing them at times with contradictory rulings that appeared to be more favorable for Christian spiritual advisers than for minority religions. (Totenberg, 3/24)
