Democrats see ‘no reason to wait’ on Supreme Court Nominee Kentaji Brown Jackson

Supreme Court nominee Kentaji Brown Jackson began meeting with senators on Capital to make the case for her confirmation in private. Democrats are working to move her through Senate proceedings within weeks.

According to US News, Senate Democrats are worried about their narrow 50-50 majority, as Vice President Kamala Harris breaks the tie. On Wednesday, it was announced that Jackson’s hearings will begin March 21st. Democrats are shooting for an April confirmation, which is a quick turnaround.

Democrats are looking to Justice Amy Coney Barrot’s quick confirmation process as an example. Jackson would be the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin said that “there’s no reason to wait” to confirm Jackson.

Jackson would replace Justice Stephan Breyer, who has said he will not be leaving the bench until summer. So far, there has been very little pushback from Republicans, though few are expected to vote to confirm her.

Senator John Coryn (R-TX), who is a member of the Judiciary committee, said, “I don’t think there’s a lot of mystery involved. Given the fact that she’s not going to change the balance, the ideological balance on the court, I think people will be respectful, and they’ll do their due diligence and ask questions, but I think we all have a pretty good idea what the outcome is likely to be, unless there’s a surprise.”