Highlights from Senate vote to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson

Judge Jackson's second introducer, professor Lisa Fairfax of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, was her roommate for most of college and law school at Harvard University and spoke to Jackson's personal side.

Fairfax described Jackson as a “sister” and “the friend that makes sure we all belong too.”

“She showed us how by the power of her example of hard work, preparation, and excellence that transformed the seemingly impossible into the achievable,” she said, calling her the “rock” of their friend group.

“We knew early on she could be anything she chose to be, but also that she seemed destined to be a judge because of her ability to see all sides,” she continued. “Above all, Ketanji is humble enough not to pretend she knows how to have it all, but she does know how to give it all. What she gives to her family, her friends, she also gives to the law -- and this country.”

Ketanji Brown Jackson's first introducer, Judge Thomas Griffith, formerly of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, was nominated by a Republican. He introduced Jackson on Monday and told the Senate Judiciary Committee, "Although we did not always agree on that outcome the law required, I respected her diligent and careful approach, her deep understanding and her collegial manner."

Griffith often reviewed Jackson’s decisions as a trial judge while he served on the Court of Appeals and wrote to the Senate Judiciary Committee last month in support of Jackson's confirmation.

Griffith called Jackson "an independent jurist who adjudicates based on the facts and the law and not as a partisan. Time and again she has demonstrated that impartiality."

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.