In 2005, then-President George W. Bush nomination Justice John Roberts to the United States Supreme Court. He was quickly confirmed and had built up some popularity with the American people, leading 78 senators, including those across the aisle, to vote for him as a nominee.
That isn’t going to happen with Ketanji Brown Jackson because our political system is so deeply divided now, but her popularity rivals that of Roberts’ 17 years ago.
Ketanji Brown Jackson is the most popular Supreme Court nominee in yearshttps://t.co/cxaBzgjmfW
— Paul Dayton (@PDaytonp2) March 27, 2022
In surveys by multiple polling outlets, Jackson has a strong popularity rating among the American people. As the first black woman to be confirmed to the Supreme Court, however, she also faces both misogyny and racism among those who represent their people with similar views, making the attacks on her pointedly uncomfortable and infuriating during her confirmation hearing. Those attacks have not made a dent in her likability among the American public.
‘Five recent surveys have indicated strong support for President Joe Biden’s decision to nominate Jackson for the Supreme Court seat retiring Justice Stephen Breyer is vacating. According to an average of polls by Gallup, Fox, Monmouth University, Quinnipiac Universityand the Pew Research Center, about 53% of Americans supported her confirmation, with about 26% of Americans opposed. This is good for a +27-point net popularity rating.’
A majority of Americans support Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson being confirmed to the Supreme Court, with 58% saying the Senate should vote in favor of her historical nomination to the nation's highest court, according to a poll newly released by Gallup https://t.co/WDuvLgokYg
— CNN (@CNN) March 23, 2022
While justices as qualified and non-controversial as Jackson have historically enjoyed at least a certain level of bipartisanship (Justices Breyer, Bader Ginsburg, Souter, and even Clarence Thomas won more than an 80 percent confirmation vote in the senate), Jackson will face a hurdle in convincing Republicans to cast their ballot for President Joe Biden’s first SCOTUS nominee.
‘One of the big stories of Supreme Court nominations this century is how divisive they’ve generally been with the American public. Since 2005, nominees who either got a Senate vote or withdrew their nominations averaged only a +10-point net popularity rating in their final polls. Compare that with nominees from 1986 to 1994, who averaged a +26-point net popularity rating in their final polls before their Senate vote or withdrawal of their nomination.’
Gallup finds that support among Americans for Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation is one of the highest for a SCOTUS nominee since 1987.
And several other polls taken over the past few weeks find that a majority of Americans like her for the job. https://t.co/XKypuksmVi
— MarketWatch (@MarketWatch) March 26, 2022
‘The good news for Democrats is that even if Jackson doesn’t get any Republican votes, the polarization would still help her. It is unlikely that any Democrat will vote against her. With the Senate Democratic Caucus controlling 50 seats and Vice President Kamala Harris breaking any tie votes, all Jackson needs for confirmation is Democratic support.’
Analysis | Graham: Judicial confirmation process could get even more toxic https://t.co/GXSP2g0fhw
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 27, 2022
