Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson shook hands for 22 seconds Wednesday without speaking to each other or to reporters about her Supreme Court nomination as the appeals court judge visited the Capitol ahead of confirmation hearings set to begin March 21.
McConnell (R-Ky.), whose shrewd maneuvering helped conservatives build their majority on the Supreme Court, smiled for the cameras during the extended handshake, but didn’t reply when a reporter asked him: “What do you want to hear from Judge Jackson today?”
The awkward greeting from McConnell prior to a closed-door meeting contrasted notably with the warm welcome Jackson received from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who gushed, “It’s great to see you.”
“I’m delighted to be here,” Jackson told Schumer during their photo op.
Jackson was announced as President Biden’s Supreme Court nominee February 25. AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Democrats are able to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson without Republican support. AP Photo/Evan Vucci“I’ve read and studied the judge’s career. I’ve heard so many good things from so many people. And now, I look forward to meeting her in person and sort of fleshing out all the great things that we’ve read about,” Schumer told reporters.
“Seeing her in person is a great, great thing. I am just so pleased that the president has nominated someone of such amazing qualification and breadth of experience.”
Democrats are able to confirm Jackson without Republican support in the evenly divided Senate, but Jackson won three GOP votes last year when she was confirmed to her current post as a DC Circuit Court of Appeals judge.
The announcement of Jackson’s nomination Friday was overshadowed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier in the week. An initial White House press release was littered with typos and press secretary Jen Psaki misspelled her name on Twitter.
The 51-year-old Supreme Court nominee is currently a DC Circuit Court of Appeals judge. Susan WalshThe 51-year-old mother of two is scheduled to meet later Wednesday with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and the committee’s top Republican, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa.
Jackson’s expected confirmation is not likely to dramatically alter the balance of the court, where there are six justices selected by Republican presidents and three — including retiring Justice Stephen Breyer — who were put forward by Democrats.
