Friday, President Joe Biden announced his nomination of U.S. Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Jackson, age 51, sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Brown would replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and become the first black woman to serve on the nation’s high court.
In a tweet, Biden asserted that Jackson “is one of our nation’s brightest legal minds and will be an exceptional Justice.”
The nomination marks Biden’s first pick to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court. The court’s 6-3 conservative majority will remain unchanged after a Biden-nominated justice is confirmed.
To successfully seat former President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in 2018 employed a procedural tactic commonly referred to as the “nuclear option” to lower the vote threshold needed to confirm a nominee to the court. As such, Democrats only need to obtain 51 affirmative votes to confirm the president’s nominee.
The Senate’s current power structure is evenly split between the two parties, with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as a tiebreaker for Democrats.
U.S. Senators Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) on Friday released statements regarding Jackson’s nomination.
Shelby stated his intentions to review the nominee’s record and advised that Jackson’s qualifications should be “rigorously evaluated” by the Senate.
“As in any Supreme Court confirmation process, the Senate must hold a fair and thorough review of Judge Jackson’s qualifications,” stated Alabama’s senior senator. “Throughout my career, I have supported judges who respect our Constitution and interpret the law without prejudice. A lifetime appointment to the nation’s highest Court will impact our country for generations and should be rigorously evaluated. I look forward to meeting with Judge Jackson to further review her judicial philosophy, legal views, and commitment to our Constitution.”
Tuberville echoed Shelby’s sentiments, stating that the high court’s next justice should be a politically impartial individual who will uphold the constitution.
“I want a justice who respects the Constitution and who will follow the law without the interference of personal or political bias,” stated Tuberville. “I look forward to actively following the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearings with Judge Jackson and meeting with the nominee at the appropriate time to give the people of Alabama a voice in the process. The Senate’s responsibility is to provide ‘advice and consent,’ and Judge Jackson deserves a full and fair evaluation of her record.”
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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