Ketanji Brown Jackson Hearings Drive Split Coverage Amid Republican Criticisms

GOP criticisms of Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson drove top headlines across the spectrum on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, Jackson responded to concerns by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) over her purportedly lighter sentencing in child pornography cases, saying she followed statutory guidelines for sentences to be “sufficient, but not greater than necessary.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), referencing Democratic skepticism of then-nominee Amy Coney Barrett’s religious views, asked Jackson, “What faith are you, by the way?” and “Could you fairly judge a Catholic?” Furthermore, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) asked Jackson, “Is it your personal hidden agenda to incorporate critical race theory into our legal system?”

Coverage of the hearings was starkly split between left and right-rated outlets. In Fox News (Right), Jackson “dodged” questions, “fumbled” answers, and was tied to a school that purportedly taught critical race theory. In CNN (Left), Jackson “rejected” Republicans’ “bizarre” criticisms and past “grievances.” Overall, right-rated outlets focused on criticisms of Jackson, while left-rated outlets praised her record and critiqued the right’s criticisms. On the issue of child pornography sentencing, while a Washington Examiner (Lean Right) writer argued Hawley had “every right” to raise concerns, articles in both ABC News (Lean Left) and National Review (Right) said Jackson’s sentencing record was “mainstream” and “standard fare.”