Following the last day of hearings for President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court Justice nominee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee and Democrats have conflicting thoughts on Jackson’s nomination. 

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, brought up the importance of a judge’s judicial philosophy in determining their ruling in cases. 

During Jackson’s hearings, Grassley and other Republicans pressed Jackson on her judicial philosophy. Jackson explained what she called her political methodology, which she said follows three steps: starting from a place of neutrality, evaluating the case and the facts, and then interpreting and applying the law based on the facts.

“I do have a philosophy, the philosophy is my methodology,” Jackson told Grassley on Wednesday. “It is a philosophy that I have developed from practice.”

Members of the American Bar Association and the Standing Committee on The Federal Judiciary were questioned on Thursday, where they spoke in favor of Jackson’s skill and record. 

The Standing Committee on The Federal Judiciary is a committee within the American Bar Association that provides the Senate Judiciary Committee with a nonpartisan review of nominees to federal courts. 

“Various groups of highly credential judges, lawyers, administrators and legal scholars can confirm that Judge Jackson has the ability as required by our standard for supreme court nominees,” said Joseph M. Drayton, lead evaluators on the federal judiciary.  

Grassley asked the American Bar Association to provide evidence that its review process for judicial nominees is not a biased one. 

“The questioners, I like to think, take almost a sacred oath to conduct non-partisan questioning, to get to the bottom line,” Ann Claire Williams, member of the American bar Association. 

Grassley asked again if it would be possible for members of the Senate judiciary committee to view the interviews in a confidential setting. 

The Iowa GOP Twitter throughout the hearings have been tweeting messages echoing the Republican senators serving on the judiciary committee. 

“Joe Biden and his administration tried to hide records about their SCOTUS nominee from Republicans,” the Iowa GOP tweeted on Thursday. 

The committee is set to vote on Jackson’s confirmation in early April. 

Judiciary Chair Sen. Dick Durbin, D-IL, opened the fourth day of hearings apologizing to Jackson for the behavior of the committee towards her on the previous day.  

“Some of the attacks on this judge were unfair, unrelenting, and beneath the dignity of the United States Senate,” Durbin said. 

Durbin hopes that the behavior that occurred over the past week will not make a lasting impression on the public, but he said he hopes the public looks to Jackson’s dignity and strength as she sat hearing what he called attacks. 

Jackson is Biden’s first Supreme Court nominee and if confirmed, will replace Justice Stephen Breyer, who announced plans to retire in January. Jackson would be the first Black woman to serve on the High Court.