After the kickoff of the first official day of confirmation hearings for President Biden's Supreme Court nominee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the network evening newscasts were eager to promote her nomination. While all three networks hyped her qualifications and background, not all gave equal time for Republican criticism. To their credit, both CBS Evening News and NBC Nightly News gave airtime to remarks made by Republican Senators who had concerns about Jackson, while ABC's World News Tonight previewed GOP criticism but never aired any of the GOP's comments.
CBS was the first to air a segment dedicated to the Supreme Court hearings, as ABC had tornadoes in Texas and Mississippi as the lede segment. National legal correspondent Jan Crawford opened the CBS segment teeing up soundbites of Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Mike Lee (R-UT), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Josh Hawley (R-MO) "previewing the upcoming two days of questioning, Republicans referenced previous hearings":
GRASSLEY: On disruption, and disorder, over procedural matters.
PROTESTER: Shame! Shame!
CRAWFORD: For conservative Supreme Court nominees.
SENATOR MIKE LEE: Engaging in the politics of personal destruction is not something we should ever aspire to.
CRAWFORD: And vowed they would focus on her record.
SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM: It's going to be about your philosophy.
CRAWFORD: With some suggesting those showed an extreme liberal philosophy and soft on crime.
SENATOR JOSH HAWLEY: Prosecutors recommended 24 months in prison. Judge Jackson gave the defendant three months in prison.
Crawford then reported how Judge Jackson had "sat silently for more than four hours of the Senators' opening statement before delivering her own" comments:
JACKSON: If I am confirmed I commit to you that I will work productively to support and defend the constitution and this grand experiment of American democracy that has endured over these past 246 years.
Over on NBC, who gave voice to GOP criticism, albeit less than CBS did, aired a report by chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander. "The 51-year-old who was confirmed less than a year ago as a Federal Appeals Court Judge is likely to face tougher scrutiny now," Alexander reported referring to Judge Jackson.
"Including from Lindsey Graham, one of three Republicans who voted to confirm her then," he added.
After playing Senator Graham's comments, Alexander mentioned Hawley's concerns over Jackson's record of giving light sentences to child-porn offenders. "Republican Josh Hawley previewing a line of attack, accusing Jackson of being soft on crime, highlighting her sentencing decisions in child pornography cases."
When ABC did finally get to the Supreme Court hearings, anchor David Muir and congressional correspondent Rachel Scott only mentioned Republicans' concerns over Jackson's nomination in passing. Muir led off noting "Republicans today hinting often at their line of inquiry ahead, these questions they plan to ask her" before pivoting to Senate Democrats' and the chances Jackson is successfully confirmed:
Democrats today, many of them, welcoming Judge Jackson back to the Senate Judiciary Committee, that was a not so subtle reminder that she's been there often before and has won Democrat and Republican support each time. But what's the reality tonight? Democrats have the votes they need, given nothing foreseen ahead here?
Scott responded that "Democrats are hoping for bipartisan support, but they do not need it." She then bragged that "Judge Jackson can be confirmed by a simple majority, just 51 votes."
Perhaps the reason Scott didn't want to talk about GOP criticism was that Senator Hawley absolutely schooled her in the hallway while she was spouting "gotcha" questions “White House talking points.”
This omission of any substantive Republican criticism by ABC's World News Tonight was made possible by Prevagen. Their information is linked.
To read the relevant transcripts of each segment click "expand":
ABC’s World News Tonight
3/21/2022
6:37:55 p.m. EasternDAVID MUIR: Some laughter there, but some tough questions ahead. Rachel Scott with us live from the Capitol tonight. Rachel, Republicans today hinting often at their line of inquiry ahead, these questions they plan to ask her. Democrats today, many of them, welcoming Judge Jackson back to the Senate Judiciary Committee, that was a not so subtle reminder that she's been there often before and has won Democrat and Republican support each time. But what's the reality tonight? Democrats have the votes they need, given nothing foreseen ahead here?
RACHEL SCOTT: Exactly, David. Democrats are hoping for bipartisan support, but they do not need it. Judge Jackson can be confirmed by a simple majority, just 51 votes, and tomorrow, she will face a marathon round of questions from Senators. Her record will be put in the spotlight. David?
CBS Evening News
3/21/2022
6:34:55 p.m. EasternJAN CRAWFORD: Previewing the upcoming two days of questioning, Republicans referenced previous hearings.
SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY: On disruption, and disorder, over procedural matters.
PROTESTER: Shame! Shame!
CRAWFORD: For conservative Supreme Court nominees.
SENATOR MIKE LEE: Engaging in the politics of personal destruction is not something we should ever aspire to.
CRAWFORD: And vowed they would focus on her record.
SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM: It's going to be about your philosophy.
CRAWFORD: With some suggesting those showed an extreme liberal philosophy and soft on crime.
SENATOR JOSH HAWLEY: Prosecutors recommended 24 months in prison. Judge Jackson gave the defendant three months in prison.
CRAWFORD: Jackson sat silently for more than four hours of the Senators' opening statement before delivering her own.
JUDGE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON: If I am confirmed I commit to you that I will work productively to support and defend the constitution and this grand experiment of American democracy that has endured over these past 246 years.
NBC Nightly News
3/21/2022
7:11:19 p.m. EasternPETER ALEXANDER: The 51-year-old who was confirmed less than a year ago as a Federal Appeals Court Judge is likely to face tougher scrutiny now, including from Lindsey Graham, one of three Republicans who voted to confirm her then.
SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM: I want to know about your judicial philosophy. Because people on the left, the far extreme part of the left believe that you are the best bet. And I want to know why they reached that conclusion.
ALEXANDER: And Republican Josh Hawley previewing a line of attack, accusing Jackson of being soft on crime, highlighting her sentencing decisions in child pornography cases.
SENATOR JOSH HAWLEY: In every case, in each of these seven, Judge Jackson handed down a lenient sentence that was below what the federal guidelines recommended and below what prosecutors requested.
