The U.S. Senate should confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who clearly is qualified to ascend to the Supreme Court. As the first Black woman ever to be appointed to that court, and as a jurist of calm, distinction and intellectual heft, she deserves more bipartisan support.
For Senate Republicans, most of whom are expected to oppose Jackson’s candidacy later this week, this is partly a matter of political expediency. After the Senate Judiciary Committee reached an 11-11 tie (along party lines) to send Jackson’s nomination to the floor Monday, it became clear that not only would all 50 Senate Democrats confirm her nomination, but Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney said Monday night that they will vote across party lines in her support.
GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine had already said she supported Jackson. Romney, summoning a term that partisans often hate, called Jackson “a person of honor” and said: “While I do not expect to agree with every decision she makes on the Supreme Court, I believe that she more than meets the standard of excellence and integrity.”
