[NB: check the byline, thanks. Update(s) if any will appear at the bottom of this post. /~Rayne]
It’s the fourth and final day of U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s confirmation hearings on the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. Today’s hearing is in progress.
Today’s hearing consists of three remaining panels (Judge Jackson was Panel I):
Panel II
The Honorable Ann Claire Williams
American Bar Association
Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary
Ms. D. Jean Veta
American Bar Association
Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary
Mr. Joseph M. Drayton
American Bar Association
Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary
Panel III Majority
The Honorable Joyce Beatty
United States House of Representatives
State of Ohio – 3rd District
Ms. Risa Goluboff
Dean, Arnold H. Leon Professor of Law, and Professor of History
University of Virginia
Mr. Wade Henderson
President & CEO
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Mr. Richard B. Rosenthal
Captain Frederick Thomas
National President
National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE)
Panel III Minority
The Honorable Steve Marshall
Attorney General
State of Alabama
Ms. Jennifer Mascott
Assistant Professor of Law & Co-Executive Director
The C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University
Ms. Eleanor McCullen
Anti-abortion activist
Ms. Keisha Russell
First Liberty
Ms. Alessandra Serano
Operation Underground Railroad
From the looks of the last three panelists, the GOP senators are continuing to play to the base by hammering Judge Jackson on abortion, religious freedom in public schools, and human trafficking. The last will likely fit with the crap Sen. Josh Hawley et al already tattooed about child pornography.
The GOP will want to leave that shitty taste of zealotry and bigotry in the audience’s mouths as the hearings end. In other words, on brand for the GOP.
You can watch live feed at these sites (not the same links as yesterday’s as the previous links may lead to recordings previous days’ hearings):
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing feed
PBS Senate Judiciary Committee hearing feed on YouTube
You can also catch the hearings through these live Twitter threads:
If you know of anyone else covering today’s hearing in Twitter, please leave a comment below. Thanks!
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Apparently these hearings weren’t really to determine a nominee’s qualifications for a lifetime appointment to SCOTUS or to ensure the public was informed. No, apparently the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings have been little more than social media opportunities, which Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) called out.
Ben Sasse moments after Ted Cruz throws a performative tantrum that was tailormade for Hannity: “I think we should recognize that the jackassery we often see around here is partly because of people mugging for short-term camera opportunities.” pic.twitter.com/3YqBgrrXNR
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 23, 2022
Sasse also expressed his concern about cameras in the court room, that “cameras change human behavior,” and yet the difference between the video above by C-SPAN versus this by CBS News below tells us cameras tell us things audio and written reporting don’t offer.
Sen. Sasse (R-NE) says he believes it should be up to the Supreme Court to decide if cameras are allowed in the courtroom, adding:
“I think we should recognize the jackassery we often see around here is partly because of people mugging for short-term camera opportunities.” pic.twitter.com/BxXaw1UX4D
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 23, 2022
Or this photo by Los Angeles Times’ Kent Nishimura:
Can confirm this. He was searching twitter for his name, this was right after his exchange with Chairman Durbin. https://t.co/pd7W6SHVPV pic.twitter.com/AKXoe4CYKK
— Kent Nishimura (西村賢一) (@kentnish) March 23, 2022
If you have a Twitter account, every once in a while for grins and giggles you should drop Sen. Ted Cruz (Senate account: @sentedcruz, personal account: @tedcruz) a tweet and let him know what you thought of his performance as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wholly visible on all sorts of cameras.
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There may be more to come, watch this space for updates.