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Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Supreme Court Nominee Defends Her Record On Handling Child Sex Abusers
Politico: 5 Takeaways From Ketanji Brown Jackson's Supreme Court Hearing
Republicans unloaded a broad arsenal of attacks on Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson on Tuesday, confronting her on issues ranging from her sentences for child pornography defendants to her representation of Guantanamo Bay inmates to alleged acts of judicial activism. But as the hearing passed the 12-hour mark, Jackson seemed largely unruffled. In a few instances, her irritation with the questioning led to responses delivered “with all due respect” when it seemed she didn’t think much respect was due. (Gerstein and Levine, 3/22)
The New York Times: Pledging To ‘Stay In My Lane,’ Jackson Defends Her Record
While Republicans had initially been wary of the optics of attacking the first Black woman to be put forward for the Supreme Court, some G.O.P. members of the panel — particularly those with presidential ambitions — assailed Judge Jackson’s record in a series of tense exchanges in which they implied that she was soft on crime, particularly when it came to child sexual abuse, and an extremist on matters of race. ... Mr. Durbin sought to get ahead of the issue on Tuesday, opening the hearing by asking Judge Jackson what went through her mind on Monday as she sat and listened, with her family looking on, while a host of Republicans accused her of having coddled sex offenders in her rulings and sentencing recommendations. She used the moment to deliver an emphatic response that telegraphed some of her anger at those attacks. “As a mother and a judge who has had to deal with these cases, I was thinking that nothing could be further from the truth,” Judge Jackson responded. “These are some of the most difficult cases that a judge has to deal with, because we’re talking about sex abuse of children.” (Hulse and Rogers, 3/23)
Politico: Blackburn To Jackson: Can You Define ‘The Word Woman’?
As the confirmation hearing for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson went into hour 13, Sen. Marsha Blackburn asked the Supreme Court nominee on Tuesday to define the word “woman.” “I can’t — ” Jackson replied. “You can’t?” Blackburn said. “Not in this context. I’m not a biologist,” Jackson said. “The meaning of the word woman is so unclear and controversial that you can’t give me a definition?” Blackburn asked. ... Jackson said her role as a judge would be to address disputes about a definition and to interpret the law. (Ward, 3/22)
The Hill: Cruz Presses Jackson On Critical Race Theory In Tense Questioning
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) repeatedly pressed Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman nominated to serve on the Supreme Court, about critical race theory and whether it might influence her work as a justice during her confirmation hearing on Tuesday. During the most dramatic part of the questioning, Cruz singled out a book titled “Antiracist Baby,” which argues that babies are taught to be racist or anti-racist and there is no neutrality. The Texas senator said the book was taught to four- to seven-year-olds at Washington's Georgetown Day School, where Jackson serves as a member of the board of trustees. ... “Senator,” said Jackson, “I do not believe that any child should be made to feel as though they are racist or though they are not valued or though they are less than their victims, that they are oppressors. I don’t believe in any of that.” (Bolton, /3/22)
Also —
Politico: 12 Questions That Would Actually Tell Us Something About Ketanji Brown Jackson
POLITICO Magazine reached out to a select group of constitutional scholars and Supreme Court watchers to ask: What one question should senators ask to understand how she’ll shape the court? Here’s what they had to say. (3/22)
Politico: Ketanji Brown Jackson: 55 Things You Need To Know
What do Americans need to know as Jackson goes under the microscope to replace the retiring Justice Stephen Breyer? Here, culled from speeches, media coverage and Judiciary Committee questionnaires, is a primer on the life of Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Joe Biden’s first nominee to the highest court. (Creamer, 3/21)
