US President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court pick is taking questions on her career and record from lawmakers on a key Senate panel over the next two days.
If the 22-member Judiciary Committee advances Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination, she will be considered by a vote of the full 100-member Senate. If confirmed, she would replace liberal Justice Stephen Breyer when he retires at the end of the court term in June.
So the political balance of the court would remain largely the same. But it would be history-making because Ms Jackson would be the first black woman in the court’s 233-year existence. Here is a look at the key moments so far, with analysis by our political correspondent Anthony Zurcher.
Several Republicans have focused on how Ms Jackson views and interprets the law. Some question if she is an “activist judge” imposing her policy views or preference from the bench. The judge replied that she is “acutely aware” of the limits on her judicial authority and has a three-step methodology to keep herself in check. “I am trying in every case to stay in my lane,” she said.
