Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota said this week that he will oppose President Biden’s Supreme Court nomination Judge Kentanji Brown Jackson.
Thune tweeted the news on Tuesday with the caption “I will oppose Judge Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court.” A video embedded in the tweet shows his 10-minute long remarks explaining his decision.
I will oppose Judge Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court. https://t.co/kTgY3KrSnc
— Senator John Thune (@SenJohnThune) March 29, 2022
“My approach to deciding whether or not to vote for a Supreme Court nominee or any judicial nominee is pretty simple. I look at the character and qualifications and most of all, I look at the question of whether the nominee understands the limited role of the judiciary and the separation of powers,” Thune said.
“Unfortunately, after watching last week’s Judiciary Committee hearing and examining Judge Jackson’s record. I am concerned that her jurist prudence reflects President Biden’s belief in an activist judiciary,” he added. “It seems that Judge Jackson has allowed her personal opinions to shape her judicial decisions.”
Thune pointed out examples where Judge Jackson gave lenient sentences to individuals who distributed child pornography when she became a federal judge.
“A Supreme Court justice’s allegiance must be to the plain words of the law and the Constitution, not to any personal political opinion. And I’m not convinced that Judge Jackson meets that standard,” Thune stated. “And my concern has only been heightened by Judge Jackson’s inability or refusal to define her judicial philosophy. It should not be difficult for a nominee to the Supreme Court to lay out her theory of constitutional interpretation.”
Thune said that he was “deeply concerned” by Judge Jackson’s refusal to reject court-packing – something Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was adamantly against.
“I enjoyed meeting with Judge Jackson and respect her achievements, but I cannot in good conscience vote for a Supreme Court justice whose record indicates that she will allow her personal political opinions to shape her judicial decisions,” Thune concluded.
Thune's remarks come after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) announced last week that he would oppose Judge Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court. The reasons he outlined were similar to Thune’s.
“I enjoyed meeting the nominee. I went into the Senate’s process with an open mind. But, after studying the nominee’s record, and her performance this week, I cannot and will not support Judge Jackson for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court,” McConnell said in his remarks Thursday.
MCCONNELL: “I cannot and will not support Judge Jackson for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.” pic.twitter.com/TrdKOF3s6t
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 24, 2022
“The most radical pro-court packing fringe groups badly wanted this nominee for this vacancy,” McConnell said. “Judge Jackson was the court-packers’ pick and she testified like it.”
“Unbelievably, the Biden administration has nevertheless launched a national campaign to make the federal bench systemically softer on crime,” McConnell noted. “And nothing we saw this week convinced me that either President Biden or Judge Jackson’s deeply invested far-left fan club have misjudged her. I will vote against this nominee on the Senate floor.”