WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), the only female Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, raised concerns over Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s judicial record during her opening remarks before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Blackburn Underscores Importance Of A Respectful Vetting Process
“So as you have heard repeatedly, this is going to be a fair, very thorough, and very respectful hearing. We are going to work through this process with some tough questions but do it in a manner [that gives you] the respect that you deserve. We’ve talked some today about the treatment of Justice Thomas, Justice Kavanaugh, Justice Barrett, who was questioned about her faith and whether that made her suitable for the Court. I know your faith is important to you. We’ve also talked some about Janice Rogers Brown and the treatment that she endured here. So we are going to be pleased to move forward and focus on the issues that the American people want to focus on because they want to know about you and how you’re going to approach your job and the decisions that you have made in the past. What you’ve written and what you have said.”
Parental Rights — Not Woke Indoctrination — Must Be A Priority
“At time when parental rights appear to be under assault by the radical left, your public comments about — and I’m going to quote you — ‘the transformative power of progressive education.’ These are deeply concerning. You serve on the board of a school that teaches kindergartens, five year old children, that they can choose their gender and teaches them about so-called ‘white privilege.’ This school has hosted an organization called ‘Woke Kindergarten’ and pushes an anti-racist education program for white families. Your public endorsement of this type [of] progressive indoctrination of our children causes one great concern when it comes to how you may rule on cases involving parental rights. Parents also know that it’s only a matter of time before we have the next pandemic. And they’re concerned about more mask mandates or lockdowns from unelected bureaucrats that would harm their children’s mental health and stunt their development. The American people want a Supreme Court Justice who will protect their families’ freedoms — not allow government overreach into private family decisions.”
Judge Jackson’s Rulings Let Child Porn Offenders Off Easy
“Moms that I’m speaking with raise the issue of crime, and you’ve consistently called for greater freedom for hardened criminals. At the start of the COVID 19 pandemic. You advocated — again I quote — ‘for each and every criminal defendant in DC Department of Corrections custody to be released.’ That would have been 1,500 criminals back on the street if you had had your way. You used the COVID 19 pandemic as justification to release a fentanyl drug dealer, a bank robber addicted to heroin, and a convict who murdered a US Marshal into our communities…You also have a consistent pattern of giving child porn offenders lighter sentences. On average, you sentenced child porn defendants to over five years below the minimum sentence recommended by the sentencing guidelines. You have stated publicly that ‘it is a mistake to assume that child pornography offenders are pedophiles.’”
Americans Deserve A Constitutionalist On The Supreme Court
“Your philosophy, it appears, is backward on these issues: restrictions on children and families and freedom for criminals. In fact, your philosophy or lack thereof may be the root of the problem here. I was concerned during our conversation earlier this month, when you told me that you really didn’t have a judicial philosophy. The American people deserve a Supreme Court Justice with a documented commitment to the text of the Constitution and the rule of law — not a judicial activist who will attempt to make policy from the bench. Without a judicial philosophy, a judge is legally adrift and will be inclined to consider policy rather than law.”