Jackson, the historic nominee of President Biden for the high court, will meet with Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday. According to Andrew Bates, White House spokesperson, she will also meet with Senator Chuck Grassley and Dick Durbin, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, as well as Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader, and Chuck Schumer, who is the top GOP member on the panel.
All four meetings will be held in person.
If confirmed by the Senate, Jackson will succeed Justice Stephen Breyer and become the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court. She is a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit. She has also served as vice-chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Jackson, a former federal public defense attorney, will nominate her to the 50-50 Senate.
Jackson began to prepare for the confirmation process on Saturday and Sunday after Mr. Biden’s announcement. Bates stated that Jackson is “looking forward” to meeting senators from both parties.
Democrats and progressive groups praised Jackson’s nomination, while Republicans pledged to carefully review her record.
Jackson is able to get approval from the upper chamber without the support of Republicans, despite Democrats having a narrow majority and as Vice President Kamala Harris casting tie-breaking votes, if all 50 Democrats vote for her confirmation, Jackson will not require Republican support.
Durbin stated to CNN that he wanted Jackson’s confirmation vote bipartisan. He also said that it would be a positive thing for the country if senators of both parties supported her nomination.
Three Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham from South Carolina, voted for Jackson’s confirmation to the D.C. Circuit in June 2021. However, they have not yet indicated whether they will support her bid to the Supreme Court.
In the meantime, GOP Senator Mitt Romney from Utah told CNN he was “open” for voting to confirm Jackson to high court.
Her nomination and confirmation would be or will be historical. He said that she, like any nominee by the President of the United States, deserves a careful look and a deep dive. “And I will bring fresh eyes to this evaluation and hope that I can support her in the final analysis.”
