(Washington) Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson took a step closer to the United States Supreme Court on Monday, where she will be the first black woman to sit, with a first procedural vote on her candidacy.
Posted at 5:45 p.m.
The 51-year-old magistrate, appointed by President Joe Biden, is all but guaranteed to get the final green light from the Senate in a plenary vote, likely by the weekend.
All elected members of the Democratic Party support her, as well as at least three moderate Republican senators, the names of Mitt Romney and Lisa Murkowski being added to that of Susan Collins on Monday, thus guaranteeing a sufficient majority.
In the meantime, the elected officials of the judicial committee of the upper house, who heard her for more than 30 hours in March, pronounced themselves according to strict partisan lines (11 votes for, 11 against) on her file.
This vote, which above all allows us to move on to the next stage, “is nothing short of historic”, estimated Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, who chairs this commission.
Of the 115 justices who have served on the Supreme Court, there have been only five women – four white and one Hispanic – and two black men.
Beyond the symbol, the arrival of Judge Jackson, to replace the progressive Stephen Breyer, will not modify the balances within the high court, where the conservative judges will retain six seats out of nine.
Because of this low stake, elected Republicans have mainly used his hearing to resonate their campaign themes for the November elections, starting with crime, which they say is increasing because of Joe Biden’s “laxity”.
Echoing this thesis, they attacked the candidate on her record as a judge, accusing her of having pronounced light sentences in several cases of child pornography.
On the contrary, the Democrats praised her qualifications – she is a graduate of the prestigious Harvard University, has experience in the private and public sectors, has been a lawyer and a federal judge – and her calm and “empathetic” personality.
Again on Monday, President Biden touted his “extraordinary qualifications”, his “extensive experience”, his “intellect”, and his “rigorous record as a judge”. “She deserves to be confirmed,” he tweeted.