Today was the final chance for senators to question federal judge
Catania Brown Jackson in front of cameras as John Yang reports, Republicans
continue their attacks, while Democrats defended her record.
The final day of Supreme Court nominee Catania. Brown. Jackson's
testimony was marked by more heated questioning from committee Republicans
on sentences she gave her child pornography offenders. Texas Senator
Ted Cruz is looking at your cases and I have now examined all of
the child porn cases you've had as a federal district judge.
There is a very consistent pattern, Senator. I've said what I'm going
to say about these cases, No. One case.
Can stand in for a judge's entire record. Okay, but I'm discussing
everywhere. So if you're not going to split it, Senator, would you
please let her respond? No, not if she's not going to answer my questions.
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, You think it is a bigger deterrent?
That take somebody who's on a computer looking at sexual images of
Children and the most disgusting way is to supervise their computer
habits versus putting him in jail.
No Senator, I didn't say versus Jackson fielded questions from committee
Republicans on issues like abortion and court packing. So there's
no suggestion that after 20 weeks that a child can be live independently.
Correct, Senator. I'm I'm not a
Biologist. I haven't studied this. I don't know. Um
You don't know whether if
An unborn child could live outside the womb at 20 weeks gestation.
What I know is that the Supreme Court has, um, tests and standards
that it's applied.
When it evaluates regulation of the right.
Of a woman to terminate their pregnancy. They have a, uh the court
has announced, um, that there is a right to terminate
Up to the point of viability, subject to the framework and Roe and
Casey. And there's a pending case right now that is addressing these
issues. Do you acknowledge that you have an opinion? Did I understand
that right?
You have an opinion on court packing. I'm a human being, and I have
an opinion on a lot of things. I understand that it's a political
question, and that is precisely why
I think that I am uncomfortable Speaking to it, Democrats sought
to paint. Jackson is a fair minded, highly qualified nominee as the
first black woman nominated to the Supreme Court.
Jackson spoke of how far the country has come on civil rights. My
parents grew up in Florida.
Under lawful segregation, and I do consider myself having been born
in 1970 to be the first generation to benefit
From the civil rights movement from the legacy of all of the work
of so many people that went into
Changing the laws in this country so that people like me could have
an opportunity to be sitting here before you Today she talked about
what she would bring to the high court What I would hope to bring
To the Supreme Court.
Is very similar to what, uh, 115 other justices have
brought, which is their life experiences.
Their perspectives and mine include being
A trial judge being an appellate judge being a public defender being
A member of the Sentencing Commission. In addition to my being a
black woman
Lucky inheritor of the civil rights dream tomorrow. The committee
will hear from legal experts before voting on sending Jackson's nominations
to the Senate floor for the PBS news hour. I'm John Yang.
And for more on this, I'm joined again today by Marcia Coyle of the
National Law Journal and our Lisa Desjardins, who joins me from the
Capitol. Hello to both of you. You've been watching this all day
long. And this is the third day Marcia she again as we just saw,
facing very challenging questions, especially from the Republican
members on the committee. How is she doing overall? I think she's
holding her own without a doubt, and she shows enormous patients.
I thought that, uh, for a few of the senators on the Republican side,
there was a noticeable change in tone. It was harder, especially
on her rulings again.
In the area of, um uh, pornography, child pornography cases,
with Senator Graham even going a step further and talking about one
of her immigration opinions and accusing her of being
Exhibit a for judicial activism since she ruled the because he said
she disagreed with the Trump administration in that case, so I thought
it was harsher, and I also got the sense that they really weren't
listening to her. Senator Graham cut her off repeatedly as she tried
to explain her sentencing of the child porn.
Defendants, and in fact, I think Senator Durbin even had to intervene
and say, Let her give, let her answer the questions. So my sense
was that they want to make their points. Now, this is the final chance
to do it for their base or the TV or whatever, but she was very patient.
And and Lisa pick up on that we did see this afternoon, There was
this back and forth between Chairman
Dick Durbin and the Republicans over documents. Tell us what that
was about.
10. Republicans on this committee, led by Senator Ted Cruz, are requesting
access to the pre sentencing reports, especially in the cases involving
child pornography that have come up so much in these hearings.
Senator Durbin's initial reaction was almost a flat. No, he said
that he is concerned about the many people mentioned in those pre
sentencing reports, including the victims, including innocent third
parties.
That a lot of damage can be done to many people buy those reports
being disseminated in any way. Republicans say it's fine. If they
want to take a redacted report. They'll take it in any form. They
can
Right now. We believe that the two conferences will meet and discuss
if those reports will actually come through or not. That's something
that's never happened before. But as John Yang has been pointed out
in our coverage, it's rare to have a trial judge up for the Supreme
Court at all.
It's just really speaks to the tension here. If these reports were
to come out, it would delay the confirmation. I just think the Democrats
are going to be very reluctant to have this happen for a number of
reasons.
And Marcia, This reminds us and again. We saw it earlier. So many
questions about the work she did as a trial judge, and and and in
in sentencing, one of the first child exploitation I mean, do we
have a better understanding of all that now? Well, I think she has
tried if if if people were able, and it would be very difficult to
go back over her testimony
Beginning yesterday through today, she did explain how she sentences
and that it is all there. But it was not satisfactory to those who
are questioning her. I recall that one of the questioners and I don't
know if it was Senator Graham or Senator Cruz or another one who
asked her. Did she not regret to give? I think it was Senator Hawley.
Didn't she regret giving three months to this one?
Child porn defended and I think at that point at you know, she said.
What she regretted was that so much attention has been paid to a
subset a small subset of over 500 of her opinions. That's the only
time I saw her feeling a little.
You know, exasperated that this was continuing after she had answered
it so many times and Democrats pointing out that 80% of judges rule
gave the same handed out. The same kind of sense is very quickly
Lisa, but it still looks as if she's on track for confirmation.
That's right and quickly. I want to show the faces of six senators
that we're watching. We'll talk more about this in coming days as
we head toward a vote. Senator Joe Manchin, the Democrat, always
a critical vote. He has not said he's a yes yet, but he has had positive
things to say Democrats absolutely need him. And then there are five
other Republicans that are watching for
Different reasons. Judy Today was a very tough day, as Marcia said,
and we will be watching to see how that affected some of these Republicans.
Some of them may not like the kind of tactics their fellow Republicans
were using today.
Some of them may have other concerns that really aren't impacted
by these hearings one way or the other.
A lot to unfold here. Lisa Desjardin. Marcia Coyle. We thank you