A majority of Americans believe that the Senate should confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court and say it is important to have a black woman on the high court to reflect the country’s diversity, according to a new poll out Monday.
The Monmouth University survey found that 55 percent of respondents say Jackson should be confirmed, 21 percent disagree and 24 percent say they don’t have an opinion.
It also showed that 69 percent say it is important to ensure the Supreme Court reflects the racial, ethnic and gender composition of America — with 46 percent saying it is “very” important.
Slightly more than half of Americans — 56 percent — had heard of Jackson’s nomination. A third of Americans (33 percent) described her as “very qualified,” while 14 percent called her “somewhat qualified,” and 9 percent said she was “not qualified.”
The poll, released the same day Jackson’s confirmation hearing began before the Senate Judiciary Committee, shows that 53 percent approve of President Biden’s campaign pledge to nominate a black woman, while 43 percent disapprove.
If confirmed, Jackson would be the first black woman on the Supreme Court and nearly three-quarters of black Americans (73 percent) support her nomination — though her confirmation would not change the 6-3 makeup of the court in favor of conservatives.
When asked about the impact Jackson, currently a DC appeals court judge, will have on the high court, 19 percent said they believe she will have “real” impact, 31 percent say “no” impact, and 46 percent say “limited” impact.
“Expectations of Judge Jackson’s impact may be limited, but that might be seen as a good thing. The public may primarily see all nine justices as sharing a common background as jurists first and foremost. The diversity of its membership brings more nuance to their deliberations,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.
“Overall, initial reaction to this nomination is broadly positive,” he said.
Looking along party lines, 82 percent of Democrats say Jackson should be confirmed, as do 29 percent of Republicans and 55 percent of independents. Meanwhile, 42 percent of Republicans, 18 percent of independents and 3 percent of Democrats oppose her confirmation.
More than a quarter of Republicans (29 percent) and independents (27 percent) say they have no opinion on the matter.
The poll surveyed 809 adults between March 10 and 14 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
