Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., questioned Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as the Senate Judiciary Committee continued its Supreme Court confirmation hearings March 23.
Feinstein asked Jackson about how she considers victims of crimes when making sentencing decisions.
Jackson referenced a case involving a man who stole drugs from a Washington, D.C., pharmacy at gunpoint. He then continued to loiter outside in the months that followed, creating fear among the owners and employees.
Jackson said, as a judge, she sentenced above the recommendation because “I thought it was warranted to make clear to him that this was a terrible, terrible thing that he had done to these people. The victim’s statements were really important because they explained — to me and to him — the consequences of his behavior. But beyond just how many drugs he stole, or the fact that he used a gun, they were the real life circumstances that resulted from his behavior. And it was important for him to understand that.”
Feinstein also asked about upholding the reputation of the court, what she has learned from other judges and some of the cases that have made a deep impression on her as a judge and a lawyer.
It was senators’ final day to question Jackson, who 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. 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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