Politics Sen. Lindsey Graham, who previously supported Ketanji Brown Jackson, announces he will oppose her Supreme Court nomination

23:35 31 march 2022

23:35 31 march 2022 Source: businessinsider.com

'A couple interesting days' ahead as Judge Jackson's historic Supreme Court confirmation hearings begin

Supreme Court pick Ketanji Brown Jackson faced a Senate committee for the first in a series of high-profile confirmation hearings this week.Democrats celebrated Jackson's nomination, noting her background as a former federal public defender and longtime federal judge who has the endorsement of liberal groups, jurists nominated by Republicans and law enforcement groups. Because of that, they said, she should win bipartisan support.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) during questioning of Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on the second day of her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, March 23, 2022. Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images

© Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) during questioning of Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on the second day of her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, March 23, 2022. Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Sen. Lindsey Graham announced he will vote against Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Graham said the Supreme Court nominee's record lacks a "steady" judicial philosophy.
Graham last year voted for her confirmation to her current seat on the DC circuit court.

Sen. Lindsey Graham on Thursday announced that he will vote against Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination to the Supreme Court, despite supporting her previous judicial nomination before the Senate last year.

Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson addresses judicial philosophy questions: live updates

Senate Judiciary Committee members question Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on day two of her SCOTUS confirmation hearings.Jackson, a judge on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, sat quietly throughout much of the proceeding Monday as senators delivered opening statements. Those statements offered some clues about the questions Jackson is likely to receive today.

"I will oppose her and I will vote no," the South Carolina Republican said on the Senate floor. "My decision is based upon her record of judicial activism, flawed sentencing methodology regarding child-pornography cases, and a belief Judge Jackson will not be deterred by the plain meaning of the law when it comes to liberal causes."

1/5 SLIDES © Kevin Lamarque-Pool/Getty Images; S. Todd Rogers/AP; Charles Dharapak/AP
Inside the personal finances of Joe Biden's possible Supreme Court nominees
President Joe Biden has pledged to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court.

Insider obtained the most recent financial records for four potential Supreme Court nominees.

Some of these potential nominees have held individual stocks or investment properties.

Justice Stephen Breyer's retirement announcement has prompted a speculative frenzy over who President Joe Biden will nominate to the Supreme Court. Biden has previously vowed to appoint a Black woman as his Supreme Court justice. His short list initially included at least a dozen people, and Biden since said he's done a "deep dive" on "abut four people."

Ketanji Brown Jackson sits for more questions on third day of Supreme Court confirmation hearings

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson faces another day of questions from senators. If confirmed, she would be the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. © Andrew Harnik, AP Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson testifies during her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 22, 2022. Senators asked the judge about a wide range of topics Tuesday, including about her judicial philosophy, her faith, her work as a former federal public defender and sentences she handed down as a District Court judge in Washington.

Biden is expected to make a final decision by the end of February to replace Breyer and has already begun to reach out to potential candidates, according to CNN.
Insider obtained the most recently available financial disclosure forms for four potential candidates: US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger, US District Judge J. Michelle Childs of South Carolina, and US District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner of Georgia.
The financial disclosures, obtained through the Free Law Project, provide a revealing, if incomplete, picture of their personal finances. The documents in part list salary information, outside income, past positions, travel reimbursements and perks, and details about their various financial investments, including stocks and rental properties.
Some of these investments could conceivably pose conflicts of interest at a time when the public's opinion of the Supreme Court is plummeting, according to recent polls.

Manchin to vote for Ketanji Brown Jackson, likely ensuring she will be the first Black woman on Supreme Court

A majority of the 100 senators must vote yes for Ketanji Brown Jackson to be confirmed. The Senate is evenly split; VP Kamala Harris breaks ties."After meeting with her, considering her record, and closely monitoring her testimony and questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, I have determined I intend to vote for her nomination to serve on the Supreme Court," Manchin said.

The number of Americans who have favorable views of the Supreme Court declined to 54% in January 2022 from 70% in August 2020, according to a new survey by Pew Research Center. A recent Gallup poll painted an even bleaker picture for the high court.
"The public is paying attention to the Supreme Court in a way that I don't think it has in the past because it has both the perception and the reality of being increasingly partisan," said Renee Knake Jefferson, a University of Houston law professor.
Jefferson told Insider that it's unclear what the recusal process would look like for any Supreme Court nominee who may have certain investments that could pose an ethical conflict. But it will be something that Biden will carefully have to monitor, Jefferson said.
Ethical conflicts of federal judges has been at the center of controversy since the Wall Street Journal published a report that found that more than 130 federal judges broke the law by overseeing cases in which they or their family members had a financial interest.
This Supreme Court nomination process also comes on the heels of Insider's "Conflicted Congress" project that found that dozens of lawmakers — including those in the US Senate who will vote on a Supreme Court nomination — had potential financial conflicts or violated the law by failing to properly disclose their own stock transactions. Congress is actively debating whether to strengthen these rules — including whether to require Supreme Court justices or all federal judges to disclose more information about their personal finances.

A dramatic shift is happening: Biden is tapping more and more Black prosecutors for US attorney posts

While Ketanji Brown Jackson's Supreme Court nomination has drawn the spotlight, Biden has also worked to install a diverse class of U.S. attorneys.Her first-grade teacher relayed the tragic news that her 5-year-old cousin had been run down by a drunk driver. The skid marks left in the street are seared into her memory still. At 9, her father was murdered, a devastating consequence she attributes to an "unhealthy" lifestyle.

Below are details about four leading Supreme Court nominee candidates' personal finances. This article will be updated as financial disclosures become available for other potential Supreme Court nominees.
Read the original article on Business Insider
2/5 SLIDES © Kevin Lamarque-Pool/Getty Images

US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

Jackson, 51, is seen as a top contender to be the next Supreme Court nominee. Jackson joined the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuits in 2021. She served as a judge on the US District Court for the District of Columbia from 2013 to 2021.
Jackson, a former Breyer clerk, attended Harvard University for her undergraduate studies and also graduated from Harvard Law School.
In 2019, Jackson also sat on the Board of Overseers at Harvard University, which helps the president and senior officers fulfill their responsibilities in managing and leading the university. She also was a board member of Georgetown Day School, according to a 2019 financial disclosure.
She reported up to $130,000 in Charles Schwab investment accounts, that included one that tracks the S&P 500" and another described as "small cap index fund." She also held Vanguard index funds that totaled up to $30,000.

Marsha Blackburn asked Ketanji Brown Jackson to define 'woman.' Science says there's no simple answer.

When Marsha Blackburn asked Ketanji Brown Jackson to define "woman," she wanted a simple answer. Scientists and gender scholars say it doesn't exist.Jackson, appearing confused, responded, "I’m not a biologist.

Jackson did not report holding any individual stocks in her financial disclosure forms covering 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2012.
In 2011 and 2012, Jackson received $3,000 each year for teaching at the George Washington University law school.
Jackson's office declined Insider's request to comment on her financial disclosures and whether she currently owns individual stocks. Insider has asked federal courts to provide financial disclosure for Jackson and other potential Supreme Court nominees covering 2020 but has not yet received them.
3/5 SLIDES © AP Photo/S. Todd Rogers, Pool, File

California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger

Kruger, 45, is a native to southern California. She attended Harvard University and Yale Law School. In 2015, Kruger joined the California State Supreme Court. Before that, she worked in the Justice Department under the George W. Bush and Obama administration.
Kruger argued nearly a dozen cases before the Supreme Court when she worked at the Department of Justice.
In 2020, she reported receiving $1,437 from Harvard Law School and $449 from the University of Southern California for making a speech or participating in a panel, according to a "statement of economic interests" filed with the California Fair Political Practices Commission that covered her financial activity during 2020.
Kruger did not report owning any individual stocks in her most recent financial disclosure form.
4/5 SLIDES © Charles Dharapak/AP

US District Judge J. Michelle Childs of South Carolina.

Childs, 55, is reportedly considered a potential Supreme Court Nominee. In 2009, former President Barack Obama appointed Childs to serve on the South Carolina federal bench. In 2000, she served as a gubernatorial appointee on South Carolina's Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmation vote before Judiciary Committee Monday sets up path to full Senate

After the panel votes, Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination heads to full Senate where she's expected to be confirmed as the court's first Black woman.The 22-member panel, evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, is expected to split along partisan lines when it convenes at 10 a.m. Each of the senators who questioned Jackson during her confirmation hearings last month will be given the opportunity to explain their decision before the committee takes the final vote.

She attended the University of South Carolina Law School.
Childs has won the support of Rep. Jim Clyburn, a Democrat of South Carolina, who has been very vocal about Biden nominating a Black woman to the Supreme Court.
In 2018, Childs owned three rental properties that were each worth up to $250,000. Two properties were located in Columbia, South Carolina, and one was located in Fayetteville, Georgia, according to her 2018 federal financial disclosure form.
That same year, she reported investing in diversified funds such as the American Funds Fundamental Investors® Class F-2 that was valued up to $50,000 and Blackstone Alternative Multi-Strategy Fund that was also valued up to $50,000.
She also reported under her investment that she owned a stake in "I Properties" that was reported to be worth up to $5 million, according to her 2018 financial disclosure statement.
In 2016 and 2017, Childs also said she was investing in an entity called "Partnership Building," which was worth up to $5 million.
Childs did not report this "Partnership Buildings" investment in her 2018 financial disclosure. The disclosure did not indicate how much money she has invested into this entity or what this entity was.
Childs did not respond to Insider's request to comment on her investments.
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US District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner of Georgia

Gardner, 47, a federal district court judge in Georgia, is also among the many potential Supreme Court nominees. In 2014, she was appointed to the federal bench by Obama.
Before her appointment, Gardner worked as a federal prosecutor in the US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia. Gardner graduated from Brown University before obtaining her law degree from Yale Law School.

What to know about Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, poised for confirmation to Supreme Court

President Biden has picked D.C. Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court. At 51, Jackson could serve on the high court for decades.And she's about to become the 116th justice of the Supreme Court.

Gardner traded or held stocks in Adobe, Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group, Amazon, Apple, Boeing, and Home Depot that are each worth up to $15,000 or less, according to her 2019 financial disclosure. That same year, she sold her stocks in pharmaceutical giant Pfizer that were worth up to $15,000.
The previous year, Gardner first bought her stocks in Apple, Adobe, according to her 2018 financial disclosure. In 2018, she sold her stocks in Johnson & Johnson worth up to $15,000.
It is unclear when Gardner, who is the sister of Democratic Party luminary and Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, still holds these stocks. She did not respond to Insider requests for comment.
5/5 SLIDES © Office of Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner

Graham described Jackson as "a person of exceptionally good character, respected by her peers, and someone who has worked hard to achieve her current position."

However, he added, "her record is overwhelming in its lack of a steady judicial philosophy and a tendency to achieve outcomes in spite of what the law requires or common sense would dictate."

"I now know why Judge Jackson was the favorite of the radical left and I will vote no," Graham said.

Graham's opposition stands in stark contrast to his support for Jackson's nomination to a seat on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit less than a year ago. Graham voted to confirm Jackson to the lower federal court, along with two other Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Collins announced this week that she will vote to confirm Jackson; Murkowski has not yet revealed her vote.

After President Joe Biden announced Jackson as his nominee last month, Graham immediately resisted the choice. The senator had favored another rumored candidate, South Carolina federal district judge J. Michelle Childs, and expressed dismay when she was not selected to serve on the nation's high court.

Throughout Jackson's confirmation hearings last week, Graham questioned her aggressively, further indicating that he would likely oppose her nomination. Graham, along with several other Republican senators, grilled Jackson over her sentencing record in a handful of child-pornography cases from her time as a federal district judge.

The GOP members accused Jackson of being "soft on crime" because she imposed shorter sentences on child-pornography offenders than those recommended by the federal guidelines. But legal experts had widely rejected the claims, saying they lack key contact and data that Jackson's conduct was mainstream and mirrored other federal judges, and that the sentencing guidelines are outdated and overly severe. Jackson's nomination has also been endorsed by a slew of top law-enforcement officials and organizations across the country, which have also pushed back on the allegations as baseless.

Jackson herself repeatedly defended her record last week before the Senate Judiciary Committee, saying at one point that "nothing could be further from the truth."

Republicans, who often hail conservative originalist and textualist interpretations of the Constitution, also balked at Jackson's answers on her judicial philosophy, which she described as a "methodology" that involves taking a neutral position, review both sides of the case, and apply the law to the facts of the case.

In an evenly-split Senate, Graham's opposition will not tank Jackson's nomination, as she remains on track to be confirmed with full Democratic support along with Collins' vote. The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold its vote on her nomination on Monday, which will later head to the full Senate.

Read the original article on Business Insider

What to know about Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, poised for confirmation to Supreme Court .
President Biden has picked D.C. Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court. At 51, Jackson could serve on the high court for decades.And she's about to become the 116th justice of the Supreme Court.