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Diaranson 6 aPriL 2022

Murkowski, Romney back Jackson, all but assure confirmation

has become broken as it has The Senate’s 53-47 vote
become more partisan in the Monday evening was to “dis- Republicans on the Judiciary
past several decades. charge” Jackson’s nomina- panel continued their push
tion from the Senate Judi- Monday to paint Jackson as
Murkowski, who is up for ciary Committee after the soft on crime, defending their
reelection this year, said her panel deadlocked, 11-11, on repeated questions about her
decision partly rests “on my whether to send the nomina- sentencing on sex crimes.
rejection of the corrosive tion to the Senate floor.
politicization of the review “Questions are not attacks,”
process for Supreme Court The committee vote, split said Marsha Blackburn of
nominees, which, on both along party lines, was the Tennessee, one of several
sides of the aisle, is growing first deadlock on a Supreme GOP senators on the panel
worse and more detached Court nomination in three who hammered the point in
from reality by the year.” decades. the hearings two weeks ago.

After the vote, Murkowski The Judiciary committee’s Jackson pushed back on the
said she had “assumed a level top Republican, Iowa Sen. GOP narrative, declaring
(AP) — Republican Sens. with all of Jackson’s deci- of risk” but “there’s three of Chuck Grassley, said he op- that “nothing could be fur-
Lisa Murkowski and Mitt sions, but they found her us that found ourselves in posed Jackson’s nomination ther from the truth” and ex-
Romney announced Mon- extremely well qualified. this place where I believe the because “she and I have fun- plaining her reasoning in de-
day night they will vote Romney said Jackson “more strength, qualifications of the damental, different views on tail. Democrats said she was
to confirm Judge Ketanji than meets the standard of candidate are such that are the role of judges and the role in line with other judges in
Brown Jackson’s historic excellence and integrity.” appropriate for the court.” that they should play in our her decisions. And on Mon-
elevation to the Supreme Murkowski said she will system of government.” day they criticized their GOP
Court, giving President “bring to the Supreme Court Biden nominated Jackson to counterparts’ questioning.
Joe Biden’s nominee a a range of experience from replace retiring Justice Ste- The committee hadn’t dead-
burst of bipartisan sup- the courtroom that few can phen Breyer, who will step locked since 1991, when “You could try and create a
port and all but assuring match given her background down after the court’s session Biden was chairman and a straw man here, but it does
she’ll become the first in litigation.” ends this summer. Biden has motion to send the nomina- not hold,” said New Jersey
Black female justice. sought bipartisan backing for tion of current Justice Clar- Sen. Cory Booker.
With three Republicans sup- his pick, making repeated ence Thomas to the floor
The senators from Alaska porting her in the 50-50 split calls to senators and invit- with a “favorable” recom- The questioning was filled
and Utah announced their Senate, Jackson is on a glide- ing Republicans to the White mendation failed on a 7-7 with “absurdities of disre-
decisions ahead of a proce- path to confirmation and on House. White House press vote. The committee then spect,” said Booker, who also
dural vote to advance the the brink of making history secretary Jen Psaki said Mon- voted to send the nomination is Black. He said he will “re-
nomination and as Demo- as the third Black justice and day that administration offi- to the floor without a recom- joice” when Jackson is con-
crats pressed to confirm Jack- only the sixth woman in the cials would work the phones mendation, meaning it could firmed.
son by the end of the week. court’s more than 200-year until the last minute to maxi- still be brought up for a vote.
GOP Sen. Susan Collins of history. Beyond the historic mize support. Derrick Johnson, president
Maine announced last week element, Democrats have Senate Republican leader and chief executive officer of
that she would back Jackson, cited her deep experience “Judge Jackson will bring Mitch McConnell of Ken- the NAACP, expressed disap-
noting her “stellar qualifica- in nine years on the federal extraordinary qualifications, tucky set the tone for most of pointment with the commit-
tions” as a federal judge, pub- bench and the chance for her deep experience and intellect, his party last week when he tee tie, even as he noted that
lic defender and member of to become the first former and a rigorous judicial re- said he “cannot and will not” Jackson had cleared an im-
the U.S. Sentencing Com- public defender on the court. cord to the Supreme Court,” support Jackson, citing GOP portant hurdle. He said “his-
mission. Biden tweeted earlier Mon- concerns raised in hearings tory will be watching” during
Both Collins and Murkowski day. “She deserves to be con- about her sentencing record the full Senate vote later this
All three Republicans said said they believed that the firmed as the next justice.” and her backing from liberal week.a
they did not expect to agree Senate nomination process advocacy groups.

With divisive cases coming, Barrett says ‘Read the opinion’

(AP) — Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney that of a political or legislative body, or is its reason- don’t behave the same when they know that there’s
Barrett said Monday that judges are not de- ing judicial?” she asked. a camera there.”
ciding cases to impose a “policy result,” but
are making their best effort to determine The program was briefly interrupted by a heck- Barrett’s appearance at the library — in Simi Valley,
what the law and the Constitution require. ler. Barrett said afterward, “As a mother of seven, northwest of Los Angeles — came on the same day
I am used to distractions and sometimes even out- that Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Mitt
In a nation splintered by partisanship and wracked bursts,” which elicited a round of applause from Romney said they will vote to confirm Judge Ket-
by incivility, Barrett in remarks at the Ronald Rea- the capacity crowd. anji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme
gan Presidential Library appeared to acknowledge Court, bolstering bipartisan support for the first
that expected court decisions on reproductive rights The group Rise4AbortionRightsLA claimed credit Black woman to be nominated.
and gun control would be seen through a political for the brief protest and posted a video on its Twit-
lens and lead to division. She urged Americans to ter account showing a woman shouting toward
“read the opinion” and consider the court’s reason- Barrett: “You are an enslaver of women.” In its
ing before making judgments about the outcome. tweet, the group said, “Only the people can prevent
the Supreme Court from overturning the right to
“Does (the decision) read like something that was abortion.”
purely results driven and designed to impose the
policy preferences of the majority, or does this read In a wide-ranging, 45-minute interview at the hill-
like it actually is an honest effort and persuasive ef- top library, Barrett also spoke dubiously of intro-
fort, even if one you ultimately don’t agree with, ducing cameras to the high court, defended free
to determine what the Constitution and precedent speech rights and admitted she is a lousy basketball
requires?” she asked. shot.

Americans should judge the court — or any federal While she said she was not expressing an opinion
court — by its reasoning, she said. “Is its reasoning on cameras in the courtroom, she added “people