While Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson faces grilling from Republicans during her Senate confirmation hearing, more Americans support her confirmation than any nominee since Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.
According to a Gallup poll released Wednesday, 58% of Americans would like the Senate vote to confirm Jackson, while 30% would like the Senate to vote against and 12% have no opinion.
In 2005, 59% supported Roberts’ confirmation after he was nominated by former President George W. Bush, according to Gallup polling. No other nominee has reached as high of approval since Gallup began polling on the question in 1987 for all nominees except David Souter, Anthony Kennedy, Douglas Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer, whom Jackson would replace on the Supreme Court if confirmed.
Jackson’s approval is an improvement from how the most recent nominees appointed by former President Donald Trump were received.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett was Trump’s only nominee who had a favorable rating, at 51%. Brett Kavanaugh, whose contentious confirmation hearing polarized the nation, had just 41% support, the second-lowest figure on record from Gallup, while Neil Gorsuch had 45% support. Data are based on Gallup’s first survey conducted after a nomination is made, according to the polling company.
Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., brought up Kavanaugh’s confirmation during the opening day of Jackson’s hearing, and said Jackson was “the beneficiary of Republican nominees having their lives turned upside.”
“None of us are going to do that to you,” Graham said.
But support for Jackson seems to be more than just lawmakers wanting a drama-free confirmation process. She’s been endorsed by 83 former state attorneys general from both parties, as well as by Republican-appointed judges, including former Brigham Young University general counsel and retired Judge Thomas Griffith.
And despite criticism from some Republican lawmakers suggesting Jackson is soft on crime, she’s been endorsed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, which describes itself as the largest professional association for police leaders in the world, as well as the Fraternal Order of Police.
International Association of Chiefs of Police: “We believe that Judge Jackson’s years of experience have shown she has the temperament and qualifications to serve as the next Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.”https://t.co/r3zod3Roit
— DNC War Room (@DNCWarRoom) March 15, 2022
Jackson also benefits from having a lower-stakes confirmation process since she would replace Breyer, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, leaving the court’s 6-3 conservative majority in place.
While no Republican has yet indicated they will vote to confirm Jackson, Republicans have voted for her before. Last year, Graham; Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine; and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voted to confirm when she was nominated for a federal appeals court.