Nathan Price, political science professor at the University of North Georgia's Blue Ridge campus, said new United States Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson is likely to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
"I would even go further and say that this is a very safe choice," Price said.
Price spoke on WDUN's "Newsroom" and indicated that Jackson's recent confirmation as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit could make her confirmation process a quick one.
"This is someone who has been through the Senate confirmation process three times already," Price said. "There could be a little bit more scrutiny on a Supreme Court nominee. I would guess that this person has been vetted and the people who voted for her, the 53 senators, are comfortable with this person."
Jackson was nominated by President Joe Biden this week to fill the seat that will be vacated by Justice Stephen Breyer, who announced his plans to retire earlier this year after serving on the court since 1994. She was appointed to the Court of Appeals seat in 2021.
Price said while Jackson is likely to be confirmed, including with some Republican votes, he believes the process has become too political in recent years.
"Chief Justice (John) Roberts is very concerned about this perception, that the court is seen as partisan and seen as an extension of the political branches when this is supposed to be, as he said at his confirmation hearing, a branch of government that calls balls and strikes and doesn't engage in the political debate," Price said. "None of these events happen in a vacuum, there's escalation here in the process and I think we've really seen a fever-pitch reached since that Merrick Garland nomination that never was considered by the Senate."
Garland was nominated to serve on the Supreme Court in 2016 by Democrat President Barrack Obama, but was never confirmed by the then-Republican Senate. Republican President Donald Trump was elected shortly after and nominated Neil Gorsuch who was confirmed. Garland was later appointed as the U.S. Attorney General by President Biden.
"I think this is the new normal, that votes from the opposing party are going to be tough to come by," Price said.
To hear more from University of North Georgia Political Science Professor Nathan Price, click play on the audio above.
