CPAC attendees react to Supreme Court nominee pick, puzzled over role race and gender played in selection

ORLANDO – Attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) told Fox News they believed President Biden’s Supreme Court nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson, is a good person, but questioned her judicial philosophy and the role race and gender may have played in her selection. 

"I'm sure she's a good person," one attendee, Eric, told Fox News. "But at the same time, we need people who will uphold the Constitution and fight for the rule of law."

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson speaks after President Joe Biden announced Jackson as his nominee to the Supreme Court in the Cross Hall of the White House, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022, in Washington. Vice President Kamala Harris listens at right.  (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Biden on Friday announced Jackson's nomination to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, following through on a campaign promise to select a Black woman to the high court.

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WHO IS BIDEN SUPREME COURT NOMINEE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON? 

"I’m proud to announce that I am nominating Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the Supreme Court, Biden tweeted earlier Friday. "Currently serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, she is one of our nation’s brightest legal minds and will be an exceptional Justice."

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 28: Ketanji Brown Jackson, nominated to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit, testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on pending judicial nominations on Capitol Hill, April 28, 2021 in Washington, DC. The committee is holding the hearing on pending judicial nominations.  (Photo by Kevin Lamarque-Pool/Getty Images)

Many attendees who spoke with Fox News questioned if race and gender should be factors in selecting justices. 

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"I was just disappointed that there's so much identity politics going on with the Supreme Court nominee, like making sure it's a Black woman, specifically," another attendee said. "I just don't understand why they should worry about somebody like that."

"It should be the most qualified candidate," he continued. 

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 27: U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer speaks about his coming retirement in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on January 27, 2022 in Washington, DC. Appointed by President Bill Clinton, Breyer has been on the court since 1994. His retirement creates an opportunity for President Joe Biden, who has promised to nominate a Black woman for his first pick to the highest court in the country. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Another man said: "We find people who have a judicial philosophy, and we go more on that. I think you have a greater chance of having success than simply skin color representation."

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Some CPAC attendees questioned the way she would rule if confirmed to the bench. 

"I assume [she’s] going to be like a radically progressive individual that's going to make some really bad calls," Michael told Fox News. "And, you know, probably destroy the future."

Jackson, who succeeded Attorney General Merrick Garland as a D.C. appellate justice, will next face a series of meetings with senators and a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.