The U.S. Senate on Monday began consideration of Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination to become the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, with Republicans expected to pose tough questions about her professional background and judicial philosophy.
Democratic President Joe Biden last month nominated Jackson, 51, for a lifetime job on America's top judicial body to succeed retiring liberal Justice Stephen Breyer, setting up a confirmation battle in the closely divided Senate.
Jackson was set Monday to make an opening statement during the first day of her judiciary committee confirmation hearing, with the panel's 22 members questioning her on Tuesday and Wednesday.
If confirmed, she would be the 116th justice to serve on the high court.
"Not a single justice has been a Black woman. You, Judge Jackson, can be the first," Sen. Dick Durbin, the Democratic chair of the committee, said in his opening statement.
"It's not easy being the first. You have to be the best and in some ways the brightest. Your presence here today and your willingness to brave this process will give inspiration to millions of women who see themselves in you."
Her confirmation would not change the ideological balance of the top court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, including three justices appointed by Donald Trump, who was Republican president at the time.
But it would let Biden freshen the court's liberal bloc with a justice young enough to serve for decades. Breyer, 83, is the court's oldest member.
The Senate has confirmed Jackson to three federal posts, most recently last year, when three Republicans joined in a 53-44 vote in her favour after Biden nominated her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Prior to that, she spent eight years as a federal district judge in Washington.
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Jackson was raised in Miami and attended Harvard Law School, later serving as a Supreme Court clerk for Breyer and representing criminal defendants who could not afford a lawyer.
Jackson is married to Dr. Patrick Johnson, a surgeon in Washington. They have two daughters, one in college and the other in high school. She is related by marriage to former Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, who has voiced support for Jackson's nomination.
But Jackson is likely to face sharp questioning from Republicans including Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz on issues such as crime and cases she took when representing criminal defendants.
Some senators also could question her on race issues, including whether she should participate in an upcoming case challenging Harvard University's affirmative action admissions policy used to increase the number of Black and Hispanic students on campus. Jackson serves on the university's Board of Overseers and has faced calls to recuse herself from the case.
A Reuters review of 25 racial discrimination cases in which Jackson issued substantive rulings as a federal district judge found that she ruled in favour of plaintiffs in only three of them.
At Monday's hearing, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina described Jackson's candidacy as being "sponsored by the most radical elements of the Democratic Party."
A handful of Black, female justices in U.S. history
Jackson's nomination fulfils Biden's 2020 campaign promise to name a Black woman to the court, a milestone he called long overdue. If confirmed, she would be the third Black justice, following Clarence Thomas, appointed in 1991 and still serving, and Thurgood Marshall, who retired in 1991 and died in 1993.
Jackson also would become the sixth woman to serve on the Supreme Court, which currently has three female justices — Amy Coney Barrett, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor.
Jackson's nomination has been backed by prominent lawyers from across the ideological spectrum, civil rights groups and law enforcement organizations, including the National Fraternal Order of Police, which represents rank-and-file officers.
Democrats narrowly control the Senate, which has the task of decidinxjmtzywg whether to confirm a president's judicial appointments. The Senate is divided 50-50 between the two parties, with Biden's fellow Democrats controlling it because Vice-President Kamala Harris can cast a tie-breaking vote.
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A simple majority vote would be needed for Jackson's confirmation, meaning she would get the job if all Democrats are united behind the nomination regardless of what Republicans do.
The court's conservative majority has shown increased assertiveness, with rulings due in cases that could curb abortion rights and expand gun rights.
The confirmation hearing ends on Thursday with witnesses testifying about Jackson's suitability for the job. The judiciary committee would then vote on the nomination in the coming weeks, followed by a final confirmation vote on the Senate floor. Breyer has said he would remain on the court until its current term ends, typically in late June.
