As Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson endured a third day of confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Ed Markey set out to show their support for the judge in other forums.
Warren and Markey are both Democrats from Massachusetts, but aren’t members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and therefore have not been a part of the hearings this week. They will, however, play a role in Jackson’s confirmation further down the line, when her nomination goes before a full senate vote. That vote will follow this week’s Judiciary Committee hearings and after they issue their final recommendation.
In the meantime, Warren and Markey tried to counter some of the criticism Jackson has received in recent days.
On Wednesday, Warren delivered an eight-minute speech on the Senate floor listing Jackson’s qualifications to be a Supreme Court Justice.
She listed Jackson’s credentials and highlighted the significance of her potential confirmation, as it would make Brown Jackson the first African American woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
“Jackson has more trial court experience than any sitting Supreme Court justice and more than almost any justice in a century. She will also be only the second sitting Justice to have served in all three levels of the federal judiciary,” Warren said during her speech.
Markey is also praising Jackson for her poise and composure during this week’s hearings.
“These hearings have proven that President Biden has nominated an eminently qualified jurist to serve on our nation’s highest court,” Markey said in a statement to Spectrum News 1. “Judge Jackson has displayed the candor, intellect, wisdom, and character befitting a Supreme Court Justice. I continue to be proud to support Judge Jackson’s nomination and am looking forward to having the honor of voting for her confirmation.”
While members of the House do not play any role in Jackson’s confirmation, that hasn’t stopped members of the House from Massachusetts from sharing their support for Jackson.
Representative Ayanna Pressley has tweeted to support Jackson several times and was spotted in the gallery during Wednesday’s hearing.
Congressional representative Katherine Clark praised Jackson on social media this week by tweeting, “This is a voice we need on the highest court.”
Finally, Rep. Jim McGovern tweeted, “(Jackson) should quickly be confirmed.”
Several other members of the state’s congressional delegation have also come out to support Jackson but have issued no public comments on the hearings to date.
Two members of Congress have been busy with other duties and have been on an official trip to Eastern Europe.
