Hearings will get underway on Monday for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown in front of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.
Brown is President Joe Biden’s pick to fill the spot vacated by retiring Justice Stephen Breyer.
Brown will give opening remarks to the Senate Judiciary Committee as multiple days of testimony begin.
Brown is President Biden’s first attempt during his term to fill a Supreme Court seat, one that’s critical to Democrats after former President Donald Trump filled two seats during his term swinging the court to more of a 6-3 conservative majority.
Brown would be the first African-American woman to ever sit on the high court if she’s confirmed. Democrats do have the numbers to confirm Brown in the Senate because Vice President Kamala Harris can break a 50-50 tie, but there is a push to get some Republicans to vote in favor.
The most likely Republican discussed right now to support Brown is Susan Collins out of Maine.
A primary line of Republican attack is expected to be allegations that Brown is soft on crime. On Sunday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was asked on CBS’s “Face The Nation” about concerns Brown would favor expanding the Supreme Court.
“That would have been an easy thing for her to do to defend the integrity of the court,” McConnell said on the show. “She wouldn’t do that. So in the meantime, the committee will ask her all the tough questions. I haven’t made a final decision as to how I’m going to vote.”
Hearings are expected to at least this Thursday, as Democrats hope to have her confirmed by April 8 before a spring recess.