Jackson: I'll Recuse Myself From Harvard Race Case

Democrats slam 'badgering' of SCOTUS nominee over child porn sentences
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 23, 2022 7:45 PM CDT
Leahy Slams 'Outrageous' Treatment of Jackson
Sen. Lindsey Graham questions Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson during her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, Wednesday, March 23, 2022.   (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Wednesday was the third day of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee—and for a third day, Republicans focused heavily on her sentencing in child pornography cases. Republican Sens. Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, and Lindsey Graham were among those pressing Jackson on what they considered lenient sentences, while she accused them of misrepresenting her record, the Washington Post reports. Jackson concluded her answer to one of Hawley's questions by saying: "That’s my answer. I’ve answered it many times. Do you have other questions for me?"

Graham frequently interrupted Jackson during a heated exchange, which Democratic Sen. Pat Leahy called "outrageous" behavior. "You had a Republican member who went way over the time allotted to him, ignored the rules of the committee, badgered the nominee, would not even let her answer the questions," Leahy said, per the Hill. "I've never seen anything like that, and I’ve been here 48 years." Graham also clashed with Jackson over an immigration ruling and, as he went over his allotted 20 minutes, tried to ask her what she thought about Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing.

In response to a question from Cruz, Jackson said that if confirmed to the Supreme Court, she would recuse herself from a case involving affirmative action at her alma mater, Harvard University, where she currently sits on the Board of Overseers. Jackson is likely to be confirmed as the first Black woman on the nation's top court, but the focus on her record suggests that the vote in the full Senate will have few, if any, Republicans in favor, the AP notes. (More Ketanji Brown Jackson stories.)

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