The judge nominated by President Joe Biden defended her record as a federal public official, saying that in all assigned cases she fulfilled her duty to hold defendants accountable in light of the evidence.
This is how she answered congressmen from the party identified with the color red, such as Josh Hawley, who accused her of having handed down sentences lower than the standards in several cases of child pornography.
Sen. Ted Cruz, also on the Republican side, questioned Jackson, the first black woman to be considered for the job, about whether her beliefs about race would influence her work, which she denied.
Another of the issues addressed during Tuesday’s hearing was Jackson’s role in defending prisoners accused of terrorism at the Guantánamo naval base, illegally occupied territory in eastern Cuba.
The candidate to integrate the highest judicial entity in the country explained that the public defenders, a function that she performed for several years, do not choose who their clients are and must defend the constitutional value of each citizen to be legally represented.
In the morning session the questions of the senators in charge of examining the suitability of the judge to be part of the Supreme will continue.
At 51, the justice would replace Stephen G. Breyer, who plans to retire, and her confirmation would not change the balance of power on the court, which is dominated by a 6-3 conservative majority.
The Democrats have in the Upper House of Congress the 51 votes necessary to approve the appointment and they intend that before April 8 Jackson is approved to occupy the position.
According to The Hill newspaper, his appointment would give Biden and the Democrats an important victory ahead of the midterm elections, in which control of Congress is at stake.
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