Many support Jackson court confirmation
WASHINGTON—More Americans approve than disapprove of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation to the Supreme Court as its first Black female justice, a new poll finds, but that support is politically lopsided. And a majority of Black Americans—but fewer white and Hispanic Americans—approve of her confirmation.
Overall, 48 percent of Americans say they approve and 19 percent disapprove of Jackson’s confirmation to the high court according to the new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The remaining 32 percent of Americans hold no opinion.
Jackson’s nomination fulfilled a campaign promise by President Joe Biden to name a Black woman to the court if given the opportunity. The findings suggest the confirmation did more to energize Biden’s Democratic base than it did to energize Republicans in opposition, despite vocal resistance from some GOP lawmakers who were largely united in voting against her April 7 confirmation. Three Republican senators broke with their party to confirm her with a 53-47 tally.
Eighty percent of Democrats and only 18 percent of Republicans approve of Jackson’s confirmation to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. Among Republicans, though, fewer than half—43 percent—say they disapprove of the Harvard law graduate’s confirmation. An additional 37 percent of Republicans hold neither opinion. Only 5 percent of Democrats disapprove; 15 percent say they hold neither opinion.
It’s not unusual for a relatively high share of Americans to express no opinion about a justice’s confirmation. In October 2018, after the vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh following a rancorous confirmation marked by sexual assault allegations, 35 percent approved, 43 percent disapproved and 20 percent said they held neither opinion. And in October 2020, before the vote to
confirm conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett t o the seat of the late liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 30 percent were in favor to her being confirmed, 35 percent were opposed and 34 percent said they held neither opinion.
Jackson, 51, a federal appeals court judge in Washington, will join the court this summer when Breyer steps down. She will become the third Black person to sit on the court, following the late Justice Thurgood Marshall and current Justice Clarence Thomas. The court will for the first time have four women members and two Black members while white men will make up a minority of the court.
“It has taken 232 years and 115 prior appointments for a Black woman to be selected to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States,” Jackson said in remarks at the White House after her confirmation. “But we’ve
made it. We’ve made it, all of us.”
Kimberly Brown, 41, is among those who approve of Jackson’s confirmation. Brown, who lives in New York and works in health care, is an independent who leans Democratic and called Jackson’s confirmation “historic.”
“I just feel like it’s a historic moment to see a Black woman nominated, and then to also be confirmed to the Supreme Court, which has never been done,” said Brown, who is Black. “I’m just excited that she’s able to take all of the knowledge and skills that she’s developed over the course of her career and education and apply it … in a seat on the highest court.”
Brown said she watched some of Jackson’s hearings and felt Jackson “presented herself really well,” answering questions from lawmakers thoughtfully and thoroughly.