Donald Trump has lashed out at Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, criticizing her refusal to define the word 'woman'...
Donald Trump has lashed out at Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, criticizing her refusal to define the word 'woman' during Senate confirmation hearings.
Speaking at a rally in Commerce, Georgia on Saturday night, Trump seized on the hot-button issue, which has generated controversy in the wake of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas' NCAA title.
'The left has become so extreme that we now have a justice being nominated to the Supreme Court who testified under oath that she could not say what a woman is,' said Trump.
'If she can't even say what a woman is. How on earth can she be trusted to say what the Constitution is?'
Donald Trump has lashed out at Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, criticizing her refusal to define the word 'woman' during Senate confirmation hearings
'A party that's unwilling to admit that men and women are biologically different, in defiance of all scientific and human history, is a party that should not be anywhere near the levers of power,' added Trump.
During Senate hearings this week, Jackson repeatedly refused to define 'woman' under questioning from Republicans, who pressed the issue.
At Tuesday's hearing, Senator Marsha Blackburn quoted late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, saying: 'Physical differences between men and women are enduring. The two sexes are not fungible. A community made up exclusively of one sex is different from a community composed of both.'
'Do you agree with Justice Ginsburg that there are physical differences between men and women that are enduring?' the senator asked.
When Jackson claimed she had never heard the quote, Blackburn asked directly: 'Can you define the word ''woman''?'
'Can I provide a definition?' Jackson responded.
'No, I can't,' she declared, before adding: 'I'm not a biologist.'
During Senate hearings this week, Jackson repeatedly refused to define 'woman' under questioning from Republicans, saying she is 'not a biologist'
Current members of the Supreme Court pose for a group photo in April. Jackson would replace Justice Stephen Breyer (seated, second from right) who is retiring
Conservative pundits and elected Republicans have seized on the issue in their criticism of Jackson, perhaps seeing her position as diverging from that of many Americans.
Republicans have also focused on Jackson's sentencing practices in a handful of cases related to heinous sex crimes or child pornography.
Of Jackson's 100 sentencings over eight years as a trial judge, Republicans focused in on seven child porn cases where they viewed her sentences to be too lenient.
However, evaluators at the American Bar Association rejected those claims, saying there's 'no evidence' to support claims that Jackson's sentencing practices are outside of the mainstream, and insisting that she is well qualified for the high court.
Despite Republican objections, Jackson's confirmation now appears to be assured in the evenly divided senate.
Senator Joe Manchin announced Friday that he plans to vote in favor of Jackson, likely clearing the path for President Joe Biden's historic nominee to be confirmed.
But Democratic hopes of securing significant Republican support for Jackson's nomination appear to be fading.
Speaking at a rally in Commerce, Georgia on Saturday night, Trump seized on the hot-button issue to criticize Jackson and Democrats
The West Virginia Democrat was a key vote to watch because he has bucked his party on some of its top domestic priorities.
But he has yet to vote against any of Biden's judicial nominees, and he said he will also support Jackson, who would become the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
'I am confident Judge Jackson is supremely qualified and has the disposition necessary to serve as our nation´s next Supreme Court Justice,' Manchin said in a statement, which came after four days of hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
He also noted that her family has spent time in West Virginia, and 'her deep love of our state and commitment to public service were abundantly clear.'
Manchin's announcement indicates that Jackson will likely have the support of all 50 Senate Democrats. Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who has joined Manchin in voting against large swaths of Biden's domestic agenda, hasn't yet said whether she will support her.
But she too has supported all of the president's judicial picks, including Jackson for the federal appeals court last year.
A united Democratic caucus would guarantee Jackson's confirmation in the 50-50 Senate, as Vice President Kamala Harris could break a tie.
Still, Democrats seem unlikely to confirm her with a robust bipartisan vote, dashing Biden's hopes for a grand reset after partisan battles over other high court nominees.
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