CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday will begin a series of hearings related to federal appeals court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court.
President Joe Biden in February named Jackson as his choice to succeed Justice Stephen Breyer on the high court. Jackson, who once clerked for Breyer, would be the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court if confirmed.
The committee has hearings on the nomination scheduled through Thursday.
Jackson has met with multiple senators since Biden announced the nomination on Feb. 25, including West Virginia Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito. Neither senator is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, but they expressed an interest in meeting Jackson to understand her judicial experience better.
“I did enjoy our meeting, and we kept it at a very high level,” Capito, R-W.Va., told reporters last week. “We got into the weeds on judicial decisions, but also I got to know her a bit personally, and she’s quite accomplished.”
Jackson served as a district judge for the District of Columbia from 2013 to 2021. The Senate voted 53-44 last June to confirm her as a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Manchin, D-W.Va., supported the nomination while Capito voted against confirmation.
Manchin and Capito have not committed to supporting Jackson’s current nomination. The senators have stated they will continue to evaluate her qualifications and review the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearings before announcing their positions.
“I would expect her to be leaning more towards the left, simply because she’s a nominee of this president and it would be replacing a very left justice,” Capito said. “I’m still maintaining an open mind on how I will vote.”
Capito said she wants to hear more from Jackson regarding her positions on environmental policy. Capito, the ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said she remains interested in Jackson’s stances and how her decisions could impact regulations and which government branches can control rules.
“We’re finding ourselves, particularly in the environmental space, really overreached by federal agencies,” she said.
Capito has been vocal about the Biden administration’s actions on energy and climate change; the president signed multiple executive orders in his first days in office related to the environment, including a revocation of the Keystone XL oil pipeline permit.
The senator also voiced support for West Virginia’s challenge against the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Justices heard oral arguments in the case on Feb. 28.
Capito additionally stated she wants to hear more about Jackson’s efforts related to drug sentencing.
“She’s worked in this area herself,” the senator said. “I think that’s impacting a lot of West Virginians.”
The tone ahead of the hearings differs from proceedings on the two most recent Supreme Court nominees. Democratic lawmakers raised concerns about Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination following allegations of sexual misconduct, and Amy Coney Barrett faced questions about how she would rule on former President Barack Obama’s health care law amid concerns about the statute’s future.
Capito shared hope senators will not resort to “personal attacks,” and the committee will keep proceedings focused on Jackson’s judicial record.
“She deserves this as they did, but didn’t get,” she said.
The American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary announced Friday a unanimous opinion that Jackson is “well qualified” — the organization’s highest rating — to serve on the Supreme Court. The committee’s evaluation involves reviewing a person’s professionalism and integrity.