Highlights from Senate vote to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., launched into a series on concerns over Jackson’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, taking particular issue with Jackson apparently telling her in their meeting on Capitol Hill that she does not have a judicial philosophy.

"The American people deserve a Supreme Court justice with a documented commitment to the text of the Constitution and the rule of law, not a judicial activist who will attempt to make policy from the bench. Without a judicial philosophy, a judge is legally adrift and it will be inclined to consider policy rather than law," Blackburn said.

The senator from Tennessee suggested Jackson used the COVID-19 pandemic as justification to release criminals and also took issue with Jackson as a federal public defender for Guantanamo Bay detainees, saying, "You used your time and talent not to serve our veterans or other vulnerable groups, but to provide free legal services to help terrorists."

"The American people want a justice who will protect their families' freedoms, not allow government overreach. Moms that I am speaking with raised the issue of crime. You have consistently called for greater freedom for hardened criminals," Blackburn added.

She also echoed arguments raised by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., that Jackson was too lenient on child porn criminals, although ABC News reporting found Hawley's claims misleading.

"You once wrote that every judge has 'personal, hidden agendas" that influence how they decide cases," Blackburn said. "I can only wonder, what your hidden agenda is. Is it to let child predators back to the streets? Is it to restrict parental rights and expand government into our schools and private family decisions? Is it to support the radical left's attempt to pack the Supreme Court?"

Senate Judiciary Committee members continued opening statements in the afternoon ahead of an opening statement from Jackson herself.

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., echoed Democrats who have touted the historic nature of Biden’s appointment, saying, "Even before your first opinion or dissent, your appearance before us today already begins a new chapter in our nation's history."

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said he hopes the hearings will focus on the Supreme Court's legitimacy and the appropriate balance of government. He also offered compliments to the Biden White House for selecting former Alabama Sen. Doug Jones to serve as Jackson's sherpa, and Jones appeared to respond with a soft smile.

"Senator Jones knows the Senate and the Senate knows Senator Jones," Kennedy said.

Offering the most praise for Jackson on the Republican side thus far, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., spoke to her qualifications and character and said he's currently reading Jackson's Harvard University thesis. He expects to finish it by Tuesday’s questioning.

After Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., launched into a series of attacks on the Biden administration, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. -- one of only three African American senators in the chamber and the only African American on the Judiciary Committee -- took a more optimistic tone in his opening statement, calling the day "joyful."

"Forgive me, I grew up in a small Black church where I was taught to make a joyous noise under the Lord," Booker said through a grin. "This is not a normal day for America. We have never had this moment before. I just want to talk about the joy."

"Today is a day of joy. Today is a day of joy. Today we should rejoice. President Biden nominated someone we have heard who is extraordinarily talented, who also happens to be a Black woman," he said, in an apparent swipe at critics.

Booker acknowledged that Tuesday and Wednesday’s marathon questioning from senators will be "tough" but said the American people should not overlook the history-making moment before them.

"The Senate is poised right now to break another barrier. We are on the precipice of shattering another ceiling, another glass ceiling," he said. "We are continuing to rise to our collective idea. I just feel the sense of overwhelming joy as I see you sitting there, as I see your family sitting behind you."

He also recalled how Jackson’s daughter, Leila, present in the hearing room, wrote a letter to then-President Barack Obama asking for him to put her mother on the Supreme Court. Now, with Democrats holding a razor-thin majority in the Senate, she's headed for confirmation.

"Generations of little young girls and generations of young boys -- no matter who their parents are -- will have the audacity to write the president of the United States, whether they are daughters of white parents, Black parents, biracial parents, Muslim and Jewish parents, we are going to see a new generation of children talking about their mamas," Booker said. "And daring to write to the president of the United States of America."

"I want to tell your daughter right now, that dream of hers is so close to being a reality," he added. "It is a tough day ahead but I think it could happen."

-ABC News' Trish Turner

After a 30-minute break, the Senate Judiciary Committee reconvened for confirmation hearings for Biden’s first nominee to the Supreme Court.

Seven more senators will deliver opening statements before the public hears from two introducers and then Jackson herself.

Democrats have continued to highlight the significance of the moment as Monday marks the first time the Senate has considered a Black woman for the nation’s highest court. They have also used their time to defend Biden’s nominee against GOP attacks that she’s "soft on crime," touting her ties to law enforcement and her endorsement from the fraternal order of police.

Several Republicans, meanwhile, have raised past grievances regarding Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings, suggesting their nominee wasn’t treated fairly in 2018.

"We won’t try to turn this into a spectacle based on alleged process fouls," said Ranking Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa. "On that front, we’re off to a good start."