McConnell says he will oppose Jackson's nomination to the Supreme Court

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Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s record should concern Americans

Sen. Tom Cotton tells Laura Ingraham that Judge Jackson is a far-left activist. She didn’t change just because she put on a black robe 10 years ago.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced Thursday that he will oppose President Biden's first U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, even after going into the confirmation process with an "open mind."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol Building on Dec. 16, 2021, in Washington. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

"After studying the nominee’s record and watching her performance this week, I cannot and will not support Judge Jackson for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court," McConnell said from the Senate floor.

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McConnell's remarks on Jackson's nomination and his opposition to her appointment follow a series of "soft on crime" questions she faced from Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Several Republicans on the Judiciary Committee repeatedly pressed Jackson with questions about her sentencing of child porn offenders as a federal court judge and implied she was too lenient on criminals when her sentences were less than what prosecutors and sentencing guidelines recommended.

Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson testifies during her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

"All I can say is that your view of how to deter child pornography is not my view," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. told Jackson during one exchange. "I think you're doing it wrong. And every judge who does what you're doing is making it easier for the children to be exploited."

On Tuesday, Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley also sparred with Jackson as he continued his public questioning of Jackson’s record as it relates to sentencing decisions for child pornography convictions.

At one point in the hearing, Hawley brought up a case where an 18-year-old was sentenced to three months in prison for possessing a large quantity of child pornography and read Jackson’s comments from the sentencing where she expressed sympathy for the defendant and his family.

Judge Jackson and Sen. Josh Hawley (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images | Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

"This is something I really need your help understanding," Hawley said as he read Jackson’s words consoling the family of the defendant and saying she feels "sorry for the anguish this has caused" them. Jackson also said that she believes sex offenders are "truly shunned" in our society.

"I'm just trying to figure out, Judge, is he the victim here, or are the victims the victims?" Hawley asked.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, displayed a poster of eight child porn cases where he said Jackson sentenced the defendants to less time than what the government prosecutors and sentencing guidelines recommended. He asked why she consistently gave out lesser sentences on child porn cases "100% of the time."

"Senator, no one case can stand in for a judge's entire sentencing record," Jackson said. "I've sentenced more than 100 people. You have eight or nine cases in that chart."

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on March 23, 2021 on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Greg Nash/Pool via AP)

Cruz continued to press for answers on her sentencing decisions, which prompted Durbin to intervene. Cruz lashed out and accused Durbin of filibustering on behalf of Jackson.

That prompted a lengthy and heated exchange between Cruz and Durbin which delayed the hearing. 

"I have never seen the chairman refuse to allow a witness to answer a question," Cruz told Durbin as the chairman pounded the gavel. "You can bang it as loud as you want."

"At some point you have to follow the rules," Durbin shot back in trying to restore order.

Some Democrats, meanwhile, pushed back on Republicans "soft on crime" case. Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Republicans simply want to "showcase talking points for the November election."

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, left, listens as Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, speaks during Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

"You've made a mess of their stereotype," Durbin told Jackson. "The endorsement of the Fraternal Order Police, the International Association of Chiefs of Police just doesn't fit with their stereotype of a Harvard grad Black woman who is aspiring to the highest court in the land."

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Others, including Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., touted Jackson's endorsement from the Fraternal Order of Police.

"You were endorsed by the largest organization of rank and file police officers," Booker said.

Fox News' Marisa Schultz and Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this article.