Rep. Omar: Judge Jackson's 'Lived Experience' Needed On SCOTUS

WASHINGTON — Rep. Ilhan Omar is urging the United State Senate to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, in no smart part because of her "lived experience."

Jackson, 51, is the first Black woman to be nominated to the nation's highest court. Monday marked the first first day of her confirmation hearings.

"Yesterday was historic. The poise, eloquence and professionalism of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is a reminder to Black women across the country that you belong anywhere your dreams will take you," Omar said in a statement.

"Judge Jackson’s lived experience—from her upbringing in Miami to her career as a public defender—are exactly what is needed in our judiciary."

Omar said "rightwing senators" trying to "smear her record with conspiracy theories" highligths the important of Jackson's nomination to the court.

"If it wasn’t clear already, today made it perfectly clear that Judge Jackson belongs on the United States Supreme Court. I can’t wait to call her Justice Jackson."

Jackson told Senators Monday that she would decide cases on the Supreme Court "without fear or favor." She also thanked God and expressed her love for "our country and the Constitution."

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story.