Racial tension, political opportunism color hearings for Ketanji Brown Jackson: ANALYSIS
ABC News
The partisan divide was on full display during Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation process.
Two days of intense questioning have come to a close and all signs point to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson completing her historic ascent to the nation's highest court. Jackson's confirmation is on track for early April with or without Republican support.
Despite the reality that the outcome of these hearings was essentially a foregone conclusion, takeaways from the hearings are like much else in Washington these days -- colored by divergent ideas on race in America, contentious partisanship and political opportunism.
On the left, much has been made of the historic nature of Jackson's nomination. If confirmed, she will break barriers as the first Black woman on the court. It's a point that every Democrat, and a few Republicans, on the Senate Judiciary Committee championed.
At the same time, Jackson's identity as a Black woman was weaponized by many on the right. On Monday, Sen. Lindsey Graham's remarks included a thinly veiled nod to lawmakers who claimed Biden's Supreme Court pick would be a beneficiary of affirmative action.
