Senate Democrats blast GOP for ‘vicious’ and ‘truly poisonous’ attacks against Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats slammed Republicans for his or her “vicious” therapy of Decide Ketanji Brown Jackson throughout her Supreme Courtroom affirmation hearings. 

“There was a promise that they had been going to deal with her with respect,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Unwell., mentioned at a information convention Wednesday evening, “clearly 4 or 5 of these colleagues did not get the memo.” 

He did not title particular senators.

Durbin, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, mentioned Jackson confirmed an “superb show of grace and dignity and energy” within the face of questioning from some GOP senators “who had been simply vicious of their assaults.”  

KETANJI BROWN JACKSON CONFIRMATION: SENATORS SPAR ON ‘SOFT ON CRIME;’ JACKSON DEFENDS CHILD PORN SENTENCES

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., decried the habits of some Senate Republicans as “actually toxic, cynical habits that trolled by absolutely the backside of what the Senate has finished in darkish occasions previous.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., mentioned Jackson appeared even “extra dignified and even majestic” within the face of “shameful, actually disgraceful” habits from Republicans over two lengthy days of questioning.  Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., described the assaults as “merciless and unfair.”

A number of Republicans on the Judiciary Committee repeatedly peppered Jackson with questions on her sentencing of kid porn offenders as a federal courtroom choose and implied she was too lenient on criminals when her sentences had been lower than what prosecutors and sentencing pointers really helpful. 

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., questions Supreme Courtroom nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson throughout a Senate Judiciary Committee affirmation listening to on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 23, 2022. (AP Picture/Alex Brandon)
(AP Picture/Alex Brandon)

“All I can say is that your view of learn how to deter baby pornography shouldn’t be my view,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. instructed Jackson. “I believe you are doing it flawed. And each choose who does what you are doing is making it simpler for the youngsters to be exploited.”

The exchanges with Graham, and GOP Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Ted Cruz of Texas had been particularly contentious.

Durbin, at occasions, intervened, chiding senators for interrupting Jackson and never giving her a chance to speak. At one level, Durbin tried to gavel the listening to to order after Cruz went over his allotted time as he tried to solicit a solution from Jackson on a toddler porn sentencing case. 

CRUZ: DEMOCRATS SPENT TRUMP-NOMINEE HEARINGS ‘IN THE GUTTER,’ WHILE GOP FOCUSED ON JACKSON’S RECORD

Republicans, nonetheless, say it was Democrats with the file of demonizing nominees and their therapy of Jackson was nothing compared to how Democrats vilified conservative nominees, particularly Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., questions Supreme Courtroom nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson throughout a Senate Judiciary Committee affirmation listening to on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 23, 2022. 
(AP Picture/Alex Brandon)

Cruz instructed “Jesse Watters Primetime” the identical Democrats typically went “into the gutter” of their questioning of then-nominees Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — including that GOP questions of Jackson had been related to her file, not private.

“You performed clips of the Democrats slamming Republican nominees, going private, going into the gutter, going after their character,” Cruz mentioned Wednesday evening. “In case you take a look at the listening to the final two days, the questions that Republicans centered on had been her file and particularly, her judicial file.”

DURBIN HOLDS OUT HOPE FOR GOP SUPPORT TO CONFIRM JUDGE JACKSON, GRAHAM SAYS ‘STAY TUNED’

Regardless of the tensions on the listening to, Democrats had been optimistic that Jackson could be confirmed to the courtroom and make historical past as the primary Black feminine justice. 

Supreme Courtroom nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson testifies throughout her Senate Judiciary Committee affirmation listening to on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 23, 2022. (AP Picture/Alex Brandon)

“She is an inspiration to all of us,” a visibly emotional Sen. Pat Leahy, D-Vt., mentioned on the information convention, “to our households, to these of us who’ve daughters and granddaughters – each white and Black.”

He in contrast the therapy Jackson confronted to the “period of Jim Crow.” 

“She shall be confirmed,” Leahy mentioned. “She’ll be a star of the Supreme Courtroom.”

Fox Information’ Charles Creitz contributed to this report.