The committee’s tie was expected, as there is a uniform party split on the panel and all Republicans oppose Jackson’s candidacy to replace outgoing Judge Stephen Breyer. However, it was still a blow to Democrats who had hoped for strong bipartisan support – and it was the first time the commission had stalled on a Supreme Court nomination in three decades. In order to move forward, the Democrats planned a new vote to “clear” Jackson’s candidacy from the committee on Monday night and then take a series of procedural steps in the following days to pass him through the Senate 50-50. With the support of at least two Republicans, Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Jackson is on track for confirmation by the end of the week. “Judge Jackson will bring to the Supreme Court exceptional qualifications, deep experience and intellect, as well as a rigorous judicial background,” Biden wrote on Monday. “It deserves to be confirmed as the next justice.” Judge Jackson will bring to the Supreme Court exceptional qualifications, deep experience and intellect, as well as a rigorous judicial background.
It deserves to be confirmed as the next Justice. – @ POTUS
After more than 30 hours of hearing and questioning by Republicans about her record, Jackson is on the verge of making history as the third black justice and only the sixth woman in the court’s more than 200-year history. Democrats cite her deep experience of nine years on the federal bench and the opportunity to become the first former public defender on the floor. The chairman of the jury, Sen. Dick Darbin, told Monday that Jackson had “the highest level of skill, integrity, kindness and grace.” “The action of this committee today is nothing short of history-making,” said Durbin, an Illinois Democrat. “I am honored to be a part of it. I will strongly and proudly support Judge Jackson’s candidacy.” The committee’s top Republican, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, said he was opposed to Jackson’s candidacy because “she and I have fundamental, differing views on the role of judges and the role they should play in our governance.” The committee has not reached a dead end since 1991, when Biden was chairman, and the proposal to send the current judge Clarence Thomas’s candidacy to the floor with a “favorable” recommendation failed with 7-7 votes. The committee then voted to send the nominee to the podium without recommendation, which means it could still be put to the vote.

“Origin in malfunction”

Delaware Sen. Chris Koons, a Democrat on the committee, said last week that a tie for Jackson would be “a really unfortunate signal of the continuing descent into the confirmation process.” So far, Democrats know they will have at least one Republican vote in the full Senate – Collins, who announced last week that she would support the candidate. Collins said that while they may not always agree, Jackson “has the experience, qualifications and integrity to act as a justice associate in the Supreme Court.” It is unclear whether other Republicans will join her. Kentucky Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell set the tone for the party last week when he said he “can not and will not” support Jackson, citing Republican concerns at the hearing and his historic condemnation. its support by liberal defense groups. Republicans on the panel continued their push Monday to label Jackson as soft on crime, defending their repeated questions about her conviction for sex crimes. “Questions are not attacks,” said Marsa Blackburn of Tennessee, one of many Republican senators on the panel who raised the issue at the hearing two weeks ago. Jackson dismissed this narrative, stating that “nothing could be further from the truth.” Democrats said they agreed with other judges in their rulings and on Monday criticized the questioning of their counterparts. “You could try to create a straw man here, but it doesn’t hold,” said New Jersey Sen. Corey Booker. The interrogation was full of “absurdities of disrespect,” said Booker, who is also black, and said he would be “happy” when it was confirmed. Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of NAACP, expressed frustration with the draw, although he noted that Jackson had overcome a major hurdle. He said “history will be watched” during the full Senate vote later this week. “It is a stain on the commission that this vote was not unanimous, but instead a tie according to the party lines,” Johnson said. CLOCKS Jackson answers questions while listening to a train:

Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson cast by senators

Ketanji Brown Jackson, nominated by US President Joe Biden in the Supreme Court, faced her first day of questioning by senators. Jackson, who if confirmed would become the first black woman to appear in court, answered questions about her court records and conviction. 2:05
Collins, Murkowski, and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham were the only three to vote for Jackson when the Senate confirmed her as an appellate judge last year. Graham said Thursday he would not support her this time. Collins’s support is likely to save Democrats from having to use Vice President Kamala Harris’s tie vote to confirm Biden’s election, and the president called Collins on Wednesday to thank her. Biden had called her at least three times before the hearings, as part of a major effort to win a bipartisan vote for his historic candidate. All 50 Democrats are expected to support Jackson, although a notable Democrat, Arizona Sen. Kirsten Cinema, has not yet said how he will vote.