SCOTUS Nomination Hearings Begin. The U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary held hearings this week on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Republican senators focused on Judge Jackson’s criminal sentencing record and culture war issues, while Democrats spent much of their time bolstering the nominee. The Judiciary Committee will mark up Judge Jackson’s nomination next week and a vote in the committee is expected on April 4, 2022. Democrats hope a floor vote in the U.S. Senate will happen shortly thereafter, as the Senate is scheduled to begin a two-week in-state work period beginning on April 9, 2022.
As the Buzz previously discussed, Judge Jackson likely has the votes to be confirmed and may even earn some votes from Republicans (some of whom voted to confirm her to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit). One factor that could impact the confirmation vote is COVID-19: Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week, making him the most recent member of the 117th U.S. Congress to test positive. Senator Casey will presumably be available for a vote that first week of April, but his situation is a reminder of the razor-thin majority that the Democrats enjoy in the Senate. If just one Democratic senator (or Vice President Kamala Harris) is unavailable—due to COVID-19 or any other reason—this could delay Judge Jackson’s confirmation vote.
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President Donald Trump repeated his false claims of election fraud in Georgia during a rally in Dalton, saying U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff's 2021 runoff victory over David Perdue was "rigged." Georgia ele...