Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., asked Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson during her Supreme Court confirmation hearing on March 22 why she chose to represent detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
Jackson said that after Sept. 11, some people — like her brother — defended the country by joining the military. But others, like herself, “recognized that our nation’s values were under attack – that we couldn’t let the terrorists win by changing who were were fundamentally,” she said.
“What that meant was that the people who were being accused by our government of having engaged in actions related to this, under our constitutional scheme, were entitled to representation, were entitled to be treated fairly. That’s what makes our system the best in the world. That’s what makes us exemplary.”
Jackson was nominated by President Joe Biden in February to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. If confirmed, she will be the first Black woman on the high court. After opening statements from Jackson, her colleagues and the senators March 21, senators will spend two days questioning Jackson at length about her rulings and judicial philosophy. On the final day of the hearings March 24, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hear from friends and colleagues of Jackson about her temperament and approach to the law.
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