Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., questioned Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as the Senate Judiciary Committee continued its Supreme Court confirmation hearings March 22.
Coons asked Jackson about her approach to being a judge and on what basis she made her decisions.
Jackson said she relied on the facts of a case as well as, in her time as an appeal court judge, the lower court’s reasoning.
“When I analyze a case, I am looking at the arguments. I’m looking at the record which is the facts of the case developed — if I’m on the Court of Appeals — developed below. And I’m looking at the law and looking at any statues. I’m hewing to the text,” said Jackson.
“I’m looking at constitutional provisions to the extent that they are applicable and to any precedents related to the case in which those are the inputs that are appropriate for a judge to consider. Those are the only things that I use in my decision making,” she added.
Jackson was nominated by President Joe Biden in February to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. If confirmed, she will be the first Black woman on the high court. After opening statements from Jackson, her colleagues and the senators March 21, senators will spend two days questioning Jackson at length about her rulings and judicial philosophy. On the final day of the hearings March 24, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hear from friends and colleagues of Jackson about her temperament and approach to the law.
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