Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin on Monday dismissed claims dark money groups led to President Joe Biden’s nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.
Republicans have pointed to Jackson’s support from the liberal group Demand Justice as evidence of influence in the nomination process. But Durbin, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said during his opening statement at Jackson’s confirmation hearing that Biden selected Jackson because of her qualifications and her record.
“Now, there may be others who allege that you’re before us today as a product of the campaign of dark money groups,” the Illinois Democrat said. “Once again, your record in the process that led to this nomination belie that claim. To suggest that you’re here merely because an organization supports you ignores your qualifications and the broad range of support you bring to this.”
Durbin called Biden’s nomination process “transparent” and said the president sought input from both parties, including himself and the committee’s top Republican, Sen. Chuck Grassley.
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“At the end of the day, the president alone chose you. He’s put his faith in you to deliver justice at the highest level of the court. I share that faith,” Durbin said.
In his own opening remarks, Grassley said: “There are a number of dark money groups on the Left that argue federal judges should make policy decisions based on judge’s own values.”
“I’ve talked about the troubling role of far-left dark money groups like Demand Justice have played in this administration’s judicial selection process,” the Iowa Republican said. “When the new Demand Justice isn’t creating the short list for President Biden to pick judicial nominees from, or putting out new litmus tests, they’re running ad campaigns, attacking the independence of the judiciary.”
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Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who at previous Supreme Court nomination hearings criticized the Federalist Society’s support of then-President Donald Trump’s nominees, said Jackson’s selection process was “independent” from dark money groups but that right-wing dark money groups are running ads against her.
Demand Justice is among the liberal groups that have backed expanding the court to include additional justices to counteract the court’s current conservative balance.
