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ASU law professor says new U.S. Supreme Court nominee has impressive and unique background

By Vaughan Jones
Published: Sunday, February 27, 2022 - 8:26am
Updated: Sunday, February 27, 2022 - 10:37pm

Last week, President Joe Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill the upcoming vacancy on the United States Supreme Court, making her the first Black woman to be nominated for the position.

Arizona State University law professor Paul Bender says Jackson is an impressive nominee with a unique background.

“She has a background in criminal defense, which nobody on the court has. She’s been a trial judge, which only one other judge, Justice Sotomayor, has been. So, she’s exactly the kind of person I think the court needs now,” said Bender.

Bender says Jackson’s background is not only unique, but would be beneficial to the court’s proceedings.

“They have to review trial court decisions all the time, and decide whether the court did the right thing or not. And to have nobody on there who’s had any trial experience, there is Justice Sotomayor, but otherwise, they’ve never tried a case,” said Bender.

Bender says he expects some Republican senators to vote to confirm her, as three Republicans confirmed her for her current job as a Washington, D.C., Circuit Court of Appeals judge, and her track record in that position will most likely not change their votes.

Politics