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Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmation hearings: What happened Monday

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson arrives for her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill March 21, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images
U.S. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson arrives for her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill March 21, 2022, in Washington, D.C.

Day 1 of the confirmation hearing of Ketanji Brown Jackson, the federal judge President Biden nominated to fill Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer's seat when he retires this summer, has concluded.

It was, as presiding Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., put it "in a way ... the easiest day," as it consisted of opening statements from members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Jackson herself.

Jackson faces a long of questioning from senators on Tuesday. Follow live updates here.

Here are some highlights from Monday's hearing:

The historic nature of Jackson's nomination was not lost among the bipartisan panel. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J, said Jackson's nomination "breaks an artificially confining mold of our past and opens up a more promising, potential-filled future for us all as Americans." Booker also shared a story of Jackson's daughter, who wrote to former President Barack Obama to recommend her mother for a job: Supreme Court justice.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) delivers remarks during the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.
/ Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
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Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., delivers remarks during the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Republicans previewed criticism they'll lodge at Jackson in the next two days of questioning. Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee both expressed concerns over what they see as Jackson's lenient sentencing of child pornography defendants. The White House and fact-checkers have pushed back at these assertions.

At the same time, Democrats tried to preemptively rebut potential criticism, saying charges that Jackson is "soft on crime" are "baseless." Democrats called on critics to look at Jackson's record, which Durbin said had already been "scoured by this committee" in confirming Jackson for previous positions.

The memory of Justice Brett Kavanaugh's own confirmation hearing loomed large with various Republican senators recalling his prolonged confirmation experience after allegations surfaced of sexual misconduct and assault from when he was in high school and college. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham pledged to Jackson that she wouldn't be "vilified" the way he believes Kavanaugh was.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks during the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown.
/ Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
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Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks during Monday's confirmation hearing.

Talk of "dark money" was featured in various opening statements of the day with senators from both parties decrying its role in the confirmation process. Sen. Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the panel, expressed concern over Demand Justice, a liberal group that suggested potential nominees when Breyer announced his retirement. Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island claimed politically right groups have outsized power in debates over judicial nominations.

Democrats hope to confirm Jackson by Easter. Here's a look at how long it takes to confirm a Supreme Court nominee.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Barbara Sprunt is a producer on NPR's Washington desk, where she reports and produces breaking news and feature political content. She formerly produced the NPR Politics Podcast and got her start in radio at as an intern on NPR's Weekend All Things Considered and Tell Me More with Michel Martin. She is an alumnus of the Paul Miller Reporting Fellowship at the National Press Foundation. She is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., and a Pennsylvania native.
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