CHARLESTON, W.Va. — U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., met Tuesday with Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, in which the senator said the two had a “candid conversation” regarding Jackson’s judicial background and opinions.
The meeting between Capito and Jackson came less than a week before the Senate Judiciary Committee begins a series of hearings on the nomination. Capito and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., do not serve on the committee.
“Today, I met with Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, and we had a candid conversation about her background and her record as a judge. I appreciate Judge Jackson’s readiness to discuss the impact judicial rulings have on the state of West Virginia, and her judicial philosophy,” Capito said in a statement following the meeting. “As I have said before, I continue to take my constitutional duty to evaluate Supreme Court nominees seriously, and I will keep an open mind as I carefully consider her nomination.”
President Joe Biden announced in late February that Jackson was his nominee to succeed Justice Stephen Breyer. Jackson, who once clerked for Breyer, currently serves on the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
If the Senate confirms the nomination, Jackson will be the first Black woman to serve on the high court.
The Senate confirmed Jackson’s nomination to the appeals court last June; Manchin voted in favor of the nominee, while Capito joined most of her Republican colleagues in opposing confirmation.
Manchin met with Jackson last week, in which the senator described the conversation as a “positive and productive meeting.” Manchin added he will continue to evaluate Jackson’s qualifications before announcing a final decision.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold four days of hearings related to the nomination starting Monday.