Republicans lambaste Jackson record as 'radical,' 'extreme' and 'dangerous' as she nears confirmation

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Senate Judiciary Cmte meets to consider Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination to the Supreme Court

Senate Judiciary Republicans blasted Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson with strong adjectives, including "radical," "dangerous" and "extreme," as they set up an expected party-line committee vote later Monday.

"This choice of Judge Jackson was really embraced by the most radical people in the Democratic movement to the exclusion of everybody else," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said of Jackson. 

Graham voted for Jackson to join the D.C. Circuit Court last year and was considered in play to support her Supreme Court nomination. But he said he saw enough during Jackson's hearings to justify a change in his mind. 

Ketanji Brown Jackson departs a Senate confirmation hearing in Washington on March 23, 2022. (Julia Nikhinson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Among those reasons, Graham said, was an immigration case in which he said Jackson, "took the plain meaning of the stature, set it aside, did legal gymnastics" to reach a certain outcome.

"She wants an outcome, she's gonna find it." Graham said of the judge. 

He also alleged that Jackson's answers were "completely evasive" and blasted the judge over her handling of child pornography cases. 

"It's the first time I've ever voted against any Supreme Court nominee," Graham added. 

Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., dismissed GOP attacks on Jackson as "discredited" and praised Jackson for how she handled her hearings. 

Sen. Lindsey Graham is against Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation to the Supreme Court.? (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

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"The nation saw the temperament of a good strong person ready to serve on the highest court in the land," he said. "This committee's action today is nothing less than making history, I am honored to be a part of it."

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the longest-serving U.S. senator, praised Jackson as "one of the most objectively well-qualified Supreme Court nominees I've ever considered."

But Judiciary Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa said her reluctance to explain her judicial philosophy was an issue for him. One major example of this, Grassley said, was her refusal to say if she supports the concept of natural rights. 

"I take issue with this as natural rights are basic to our constitutional system and principles of limited government," Grassley said. 

Sen. Dick Durbin, left, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Chuck Grassley confer during Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation hearing, on Capitol Hill on March 23, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Grassley further said Jackson ignored the letter of the First Step Act in a case on a potential compassionate release of a fentanyl "drug kingpin." Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., grilled Jackson over the decision to reduce that kingpin's sentence despite the fact the First Step Act didn't allow retroactivity for such sentences. 

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"This is a terrible and dangerous misinterpretation," Grassley said. "Retroactively isn't mentioned once in the compassionate release statute."

"It's a radical position and it's outside the confines of the law," Grassley added. "Judge Jackson's interpretation was so extreme that she got Sen. Cotton to even defend the First Step Act. I don't think that's what the White House had in mind when they said she was a consensus builder."

Cotton, an opponent of the First Step Act, could be seen chuckling as Grassley made that comment. 

Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Mike Lee, R-Utah, said Jackson's refusal to answer some other basic questions spurred their decisions to vote against her. 

Ketanji Brown Jackson testifies during her confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on March 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

"I did ask her about her judicial philosophy. She said she doesn't have one and hasn't thought about it," Cornyn said. He added that the answer "demonstrates a lack of candor."

"Someone of her impressive caliber surely has a judicial philosophy, but maybe she just didn't want to talk about it," he said. 

Lee, meanwhile, noted that Jackson wouldn't answer questions on court-packing or the definition of a "woman."

"These are troublingly, troublingly inadequate answerers that she provided," Lee said. "The fact that she doesn't and won't and hasn't is concerning."

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said his reading of her record shows that Jackson will be historically liberal on the bench. 

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"I believe she will prove to be the most extreme and the furthest left justice ever to serve on the United States Supreme Court," Cruz said. "She will be to the left of Justice Sotomayor. She will be the left of Justice Kagan. She will be way, way, way to the left of Justice Stephen Breyer."

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., was also considered to be a possible vote for Jackson in the Judiciary Committee, but last week said he will oppose her. The rest of the GOP members are expected to vote against Jackson, and all Democrats are expected to vote for her. 

This will mean that her nomination will not be reported favorably from the committee, and set up a vote on a discharge motion to get Jackson's nomination to the Senate floor. That vote is expected to happen later Monday.

Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report.