Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., defended Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson's background as a public defender during opening statements for her confirmation hearings on March 21, which has been used by some Republicans to suggest she is soft on crime.
"Let's make a few things clear. Judge Jackson is ... not a puppet of the so-called 'radical left.' She's been praised by Republican appointed judges ... lawyers from the right and the left who appeared before her in court have called a judicious and evenhanded," he said.
Her work as a public defender and her family ties to law enforcement, among other experience, make her "not a liability to the court" but a "much needed asset to the court," he said.
"Every American must believe that the court is going to be impartial. They must believe that our courts and not a mere political arm of the executive or the Congress. But faithful only to the rule of law," he said. The stakes for democracy "are simply too high," he added.
Jackson was nominated by President Joe Biden in February to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. If confirmed, she will be the first Black woman on the high court.
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