Nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, now, next, on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, on Friday, Joe Biden--President Biden--made history, wonderful history, by announcing his nominee to replace Stephen Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.

As promised, President Biden named, for the first time in history-- the first time in history--a Black woman to sit on the High Court. As promised, his nominee is beyond qualified and brilliant. And as promised, the Senate will now begin the work of quickly confirming Judge Jackson to the Supreme Court of the United States of America.

Appointing individuals to the High Court, as we all know, is truly one of the awesome responsibilities of any President. And in choosing Judge Jackson, President Biden has hit a home run with an evenhanded and so gifted jurist.

More importantly, I congratulate Judge Jackson for this historic honor--one that reflects her skills, her accomplishments, and, above all, her dedication to our democracy. I have been doing a lot of reading on Judge Jackson over the last month, and I cannot recall any one of her colleagues, anyone from her private life, or anyone in the public sphere say anything negative about her. It is amazing. That is how fine a person she is and how fine a mind she has. Judge Jackson encapsulates the two b's: brilliant and beloved. That is a rare combination. And her nomination is a cause for immense celebration.

I will be meeting with Judge Jackson Wednesday when she comes to the Capitol for the first time. Meanwhile, I am working with Chairman Durbin to schedule confirmation hearings on Judge Jackson as soon as we can. Once the Judiciary Committee completes its consideration of Judge Jackson, I will move to have her nomination come immediately to the floor of the Senate so the Senate wastes no time fulfilling its constitutional duty. We are going to have a fair but speedy process where Members from both sides will get to ask their questions and explore the judge's record.

Of course, Judge Jackson is no stranger to the Senate. This will be the fourth time--the fourth time--she comes before this body. In each previous instance, Republicans and Democrats together voted in favor of her various nominations. We voted last year to confirm Judge Jackson to the influential DC Circuit Court of Appeals, and she received support from all 50 Democrats and 3 Republicans. And, of course, the first time she came before us as a district court judge, it was a voice vote, which meant no one objected to her getting on the Federal bench--no one in the Senate, anyway.

Judge Jackson's various nominations have won bipartisan support in the past, and her nomination now merits bipartisan support in the present. I hope both sides can work together in a fair and speedy way to make it happen.

I will have more to say on Judge Jackson's remarkable profile in the days and weeks ahead, but today, I want to congratulate her on her nomination. I thank President Biden for selecting her, and I look forward to meeting with her on Wednesday when she arrives at the Capitol.

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