Supreme Court Justice Jackson pledges to decide cases ‘without fear or favor’

Supreme Court nominee Kentaji Brown Jackson has pledged to decide cases “without fear or favor.”

According to AP News, Jackson gave a 12 minute statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee at the end of her first day of confirmation hearings. During her statement, she thanked God and professed love for “our country and the Constitution.”

Jackson stressed her independence in the courtroom, and how she decides cases “from a neutral posture.” Jackson has served as a judge for nine years. She spent the majority of her first day before the committee detailing her approach as a judge and reflecting on her time as on the trial court and on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

“I know that my role as a judge is a limited one – that the Constitution empowers me only to decide cases and controversies that are properly presented. And I know that my judicial role is further constrained by careful adherence to precedent.”

Both Democratic and Republican Senators delivered statements regarding the first days of Jackson’s confirmation trial. While the majority of senators seemed eager to move away from the bitterness and divisiveness of past hearings, some still issued grievances. Some questioned if the judiciary approval process had been conducted in good faith [The Washington Post].