White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Tuesday that Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is “very much in the model” of retiring Justice Stephen Breyer when asked whether she believes Republicans would vote for her.
“She is someone who has ruled in favor of Democrats and Republicans, served under Democrats and Republicans, and [is] very much in the model of Justice Breyer, so we believe she deserves bipartisan support,” Psaki told members of the press aboard Air Force One.
Psaki also said Brown, a federal appeals court judge since 2021 after eight years as a federal district court judge, has been “hard at work since the moment she was announced as the nominee.” Psaki noted that the nominee “started prepping for hearings and prepping for these meetings even the weekend after she was announced, which probably doesn’t surprise anyone given her exemplary record and backgrounds.”
SUPREME COURT NOMINEE JACKSON MEETS SENATE FRIENDS AND FOES AHEAD OF HEARINGS
Jackson has continued her scheduled appearances on Capitol Hill this week, meeting with both Democratic and Republican senators ahead of her confirmation hearings slated to begin March 21.
On Tuesday, Jackson met with Democratic Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, as well as Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Ted Cruz of Texas, and Rick Scott, who represents Jackson’s home state of Florida.
Scott voted against Jackson last year when she was confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, when she gained the support of every Senate Democrat and three Republicans, including Collins.
GOP Sens. Collins, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina voted for Jackson last year, but all three have not said whether they would vote for her again and have vowed to study her background further.
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In order to be confirmed as the next Supreme Court justice, Jackson needs 51 votes from the 100-member Senate, which Democrats can help boost with Vice President Kamala Harris’s tiebreaking vote.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said he would like to confirm Jackson in a vote by mid-April.
