Reactions to Ketanji Brown Jackson’s first day of SCOTUS confirmation hearings
On Monday, the Senate kicked off the confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court. The hearings will continue throughout the week.
The Twitter conversation on Monday around Jackson’s confirmation was largely dominated by the left.
The bottom line: The divide on Supreme court nominees emerges because we want the next Supreme Court justice to reflect our values and beliefs, but our values and beliefs vary from person-to-person.
Below, we break down how different people are interpreting this event, and what values or information inform this perspective. Our goal isn’t to change your mind — it’s to show how rational people can understand this same event so differently. Your view may differ, and that’s okay.
What does each side see as fact?
- Judge Jackson is uniquely qualified for this role.
- Judge Jackson is more qualified than both Justice Barrett and Kavanaugh, so Republicans should have no objections to her nomination.
- Republicans are willfully obstructing this historical moment.
- Jackson has a questionable history of giving lighter sentences to child sex offenders.
- Democrats acted disgracefully during Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing.
- Jackson will always vote the way Democrats want.
The Narrative
To the left, Judge Jackson is well-qualified for the job as Associate Justice and is making history by being the first black woman nominated for the Supreme Court.
Republicans are hypocritical in their criticism of her qualifications. There is no reason to oppose her nomination since they’ve approved less qualified judges in the past.
To the right, the Democrats are trying to rush this nomination through the Senate by accusing anyone who asks legitimate questions of being racist.
They are trying to hold Republicans to a standard they never adhere to themselves to delegitimize valid criticism of their partisan nominee.
How could a reasonable person come to think this?
To people on the left, President Biden picked Judge Jackson after a rigorous screening process, and so there are no legitimate objections to her nomination. The only reason Republicans oppose her nomination is because of racist and misogynist notions about who should be on the Supreme Court.
To people on the right, President Biden’s screening of Jackson was inadequate because he only looked at black, female nominees and omitted other candidates who may be more qualified. The Senate is obligated to thoroughly vet each Supreme Court nominee, and the Democrats are trying to circumvent that process by accusing Senators who are fulfilling that duty of being racist.
What does each side see as fact?
- Judge Jackson is uniquely qualified for this role.
- Judge Jackson is more qualified than both Justice Barrett and Kavanaugh, so Republicans should have no objections to her nomination.
- Republicans are willfully obstructing this historical moment.
- Jackson has a questionable history of giving lighter sentences to child sex offenders.
- Democrats acted disgracefully during Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing.
- Jackson will always vote the way Democrats want.
The Narrative
To the left, Judge Jackson is well-qualified for the job as Associate Justice and is making history by being the first black woman nominated for the Supreme Court.
Republicans are hypocritical in their criticism of her qualifications. There is no reason to oppose her nomination since they’ve approved less qualified judges in the past.
To the right, the Democrats are trying to rush this nomination through the Senate by accusing anyone who asks legitimate questions of being racist.
They are trying to hold Republicans to a standard they never adhere to themselves to delegitimize valid criticism of their partisan nominee.
How could a reasonable person come to believe this?
To people on the left, President Biden picked Judge Jackson after a rigorous screening process, and so there are no legitimate objections to her nomination. The only reason Republicans oppose her nomination is because of racist and misogynist notions about who should be on the Supreme Court.
To people on the right, President Biden’s screening of Jackson was inadequate because he only looked at black, female nominees and omitted other candidates who may be more qualified. The Senate is obligated to thoroughly vet each Supreme Court nominee, and the Democrats are trying to circumvent that process by accusing Senators who are fulfilling that duty of being racist.
Takeaways
The Supreme Court nomination process is ripe for partisan conflict. Because Supreme Court justices are both powerful and appointed for life, the stakes are high and everyone wants the Supreme Court nominee to both reflect their values and fight for them on the court.
Most people know relatively little about Supreme Court nominees before their confirmation process. Because of this, our view of the current president often drives our perception of the nominee. People who voted for Joe Biden did so because they trust him to select nominees that reflect their values and vision for the country, and people who voted against him don’t.
To learn more about how each side views the Supreme Court, check out our deep dive on the topic.