Confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will begin Monday, with Democratic leaders setting a goal of reaching a final Senate vote by early April.
If the historic nomination process is successful, Jackson will be the first Black woman to serve on the nation’s highest court.
She will be formally introduced Monday after opening statements during televised hearings, followed by two days of questioning and one day of testimony from additional witnesses.
Jackson, 51, currently sits on DC’s federal appellate court and had been considered the front-runner for the vacancy since Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement in January.
President Joe Biden, who vowed during the 2020 campaign to select a Black woman to the Supreme Court should a vacancy arise, has already elevated Jackson once, appointing her last year to the appeals court in DC, which is considered the second most powerful federal court in the country.
Because of that appellate appointment, she’s already been through a vetting process that included an interview with the President himself. Last June, the Senate confirmed Jackson by a 53-44 vote.
If elevated to the high court, she would follow in the footsteps of the likes of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, who took the seats of the justices they had worked for.
Jackson clerked for Breyer during the 1999 term after serving as a clerk in 1997-1998 to Judge Bruce M. Selya, a federal judge in Massachusetts.
What time is the hearing set to begin?
Monday’s hearing will begin at 11 a.m. ET, with opening statements from members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, an introduction of Jackson by Judge Thomas Griffith, formerly of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and Lisa Fairfax, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, and Jackson’s opening statement. Committee members will begin questioning the nominee on Tuesday, starting at 9 a.m. ET. There will be hearings everyday through Thursday, March 24, 2022.
Where will it take place?
The hearings will take place in the Hart Senate Office Building.
Where can I watch it?
A livestream of the Supreme Court confirmation hearing will be featured on CNN.com without requiring a login. CNN’s special coverage of the hearing will stream live for pay TV subscribers only via CNNgo (CNN.com/go and via CNNgo apps for Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV and Android TV) and on the CNN mobile apps for iOS and Android.
