Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee worked overtime to trip up Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson or capture a gotcha moment for the cameras during her marathon confirmation hearing this week. The spectacle was exhausting to watch, but like the nominees who went before her in recent years, Jackson handled the questions with dignity and aplomb — unlike her questioners.
Democrats have also had their share of low-blow attempts to defeat conservative Supreme Court nominees. Two notable examples are Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas, both of whom had to address direct testimony from women alleging sexual abuse or harassment. Sadly, Senate Judiciary Committee Republican extremists like Josh Hawley of Missouri and Ted Cruz of Texas now think it’s their turn.
The broad experience that made Jackson such a strong choice as a nominee — she’s served as a trial judge, public defender and even school board member — now provide ample sources of material to attack her. Hawley and Cruz seem intent on painting her as the boogeywoman incarnate.
