Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s colleague found SCOTUS confirmation hearing ‘very emotional’

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson closed in on the second day of her confirmation hearing Tuesday, inching closer to becoming the country’s first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court.

Njeri Mathis Rutledge, a professor at the South Texas College of Law Houston who attended law school with Jackson at Harvard, was in the hearing room both Monday and Tuesday to witness history unfold in front of her friend and colleague.

“The first day felt electric,” Rutledge told Greater Boston. “I have to say, once Judge Jackson raised her right hand and took the oath, I felt very emotional. Even though I’ve known this was going to happen, it really felt real and the weight of it all was really, really quite moving.”

The second day of the hearing was marked by lines of questioning by Republican members of Congress, which Rutledge described as “disappointing.”

“They had said they were going to do a fair hearing, and that it wasn’t going to be a circus. It seems like they have engaged in a smear campaign,” she said, adding that Republicans were caught up in “settling old scores” and practicing “political theater.”

Jackson was questioned about critical race theory, sentencing practices in cases of child pornography and use of the term “war criminals” to describe former government officials.

Jackson could likely be confirmed to the Supreme Court with a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Kamala Harris if Senators vote along party lines.

Rutledge said, should that happen, “it will be seen as a slap in the face. For a brilliant justice, a brilliant judge who is very qualified and who is very fair. ... For us to have to get to the point where Kamala Harris has to cast the deciding vote would be very bittersweet.”

Jackson’s confirmation hearing remains underway.

Watch the full interview on Greater Boston at 7 p.m.