JUDGE JACKSON. WELCOME BACK TO THE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE. THE LAST TIME YOU WERE BEFORE US, JUST A YEAR AGO, I RECALL YOU MENTIONED EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, YOU MAKE IT A POINT TO WALK TWO BLOCKS FROM YOUR COURTHOUSE TO THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES. AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES IS WHERE THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, CONSTITUTION, AND THE BILL OF RIGHTS ARE AT. YOU SHARED THAT YOU GO THERE AND REFLECT OF THE OFFICE THAT YOU HOLD. IT IS A SAFE PLACE, THESE ARCHIVES TO BE REMINDED OF OUR NATION'S HIGHEST IDEALS, OUR PURSUIT OF A UNION THAT IS MORE FAIR, THAT IS MORE FREE AS IT STRIVING TO BE MORE PERFECT. IT IS ALSO A SIGHT TO SEE WHERE TWO AND A HALF CENTURIES OUR DEMOCRACIES HAVE REMAINED A WORKER PROGRESS APPEARED IT IS . IT IS INCUMBENT ON ALL OF US TO MAKE THE PROGRESS. AS A MAN WHO WROTE OUR FOUNDING DOCUMENTS CAN NEVER IMAGINE THAT YOU WOULD ONE DAY BE HERE, A FORMAL PUBLIC DEFENDER, A COLLEGE GRADUATE OF A PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL, A WORKING MOM, THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN NOMINATED TO SERVE THE NATION'S HIGHEST COURT. OUR FOUNDING FATHERS COULD ALSO NEVER IMAGINE THAT THE SENATORS SITTING BEFORE JUDGE JACKSON WOULD INCLUDE THE FIRST WOMEN WHO REPRESENT CALIFORNIA, HAWAII, TENNESSEE, THE FIRST JEWISH MAN TO REPRESENT GEORGIA. THE FIRST HISPANIC MAN TO REPRESENT TEXAS, THE FIRST BLACK MAN TO REPRESENT NEW JERSEY. NOR CAN THEY HAVE IMAGINED THAT THE LIST WILL INCLUDE ME. I AM HERE FROM IMMIGRANTS FROM MEXICO WHO CAME TO THIS COUNTRY WITH LITTLE FORMAL EDUCATION. BUT WITH BIG DREAMS. AND A TREMENDOUS WORK CAN --WORK ETHIC. IT IS BECAUSE OF HARD WORK AND SACRIFICE, MY DAD, MY MOM IS A HOUSEKEEPER THAT I HAVE ENJOYED TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITIES IN MY LIFE. THAT INCLUDES THE HONOR OF REPRESENTING THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA AS UNITED STATES SENATE, AND BEING THE FIRST LATINO TO DO SO. LIKE SO MANY OF US IN THE ROOM, I AM BLESSED TO LIVE THE AMERICAN DREAM. LOOKING AROUND, YOU CAN SEE THE STRIKE IN OUR DEMOCRACY HAS MADE TOWARDS STRENGTHENING OUR INSTITUTIONS BY INCLUDING MORE VOICES AND MORE PERSPECTIVE. JUDGE JACKSON, IF YOU'RE CONFIRMED, WE WILL TAKE OTHER STEPS AS MAKING OUR GOVERNMENT BETTER REFLECT THE AMERICA THAT IT SERVES TOWARDS MAKING THE PROMISE OF AMERICA MORE REAL. AND WE KNOW THAT PROGRESS DOES NOT COME EASILY. BREAKING BARRIERS AND BEING THE FIRST, MEANS NOT JUST SIGNIFICANT OPPORTUNITIES, BUT TREMENDOUS RESPONSIBILITIES. JUDGE JACKSON, I ALSO KNOW YOU ARE EQUIPPED WITH A TREMENDOUS RECORD OF EXPERIENCE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS. YOU ARE READY TO BLAZE THIS TRAIL. A TRAIL THAT YOUR GRANDPARENTS MAY HAVE FOUND UNFATHOMABLE, BUT ONE THAT YOUR DAUGHTERS IN MY SONS AND FUTURE GENERATIONS WILL NOW SEE AS A NATURAL PART OF THE AMERICAN STORY. JUDGE JACKSON, EVEN BEFORE YOUR NEXT OPINION, YOUR APPEARANCE BEFORE US TODAY ALREADY BEGINS A NEW CHAPTER IN OUR NATIONS HISTORY. I CAN SAY FOR CERTAIN BY THE END OF THESE HEARINGS, THOSE WATCHING ACROSS THE COUNTRY WILL KNOW OF YOUR OUTSTANDING QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS. WHICH BEAR REPEATING OVER AND OVER AGAIN. THE PUBLIC EDUCATION, INCLUDING GRADUATING FROM MIAMI PAUL MEADOW HIGH SCHOOL, I SEE THE SMILE. FOLLOWED BY DEGREES FROM HARVARD COLLEGE AND HARVARD LAW SCHOOL. COURTSHIPS AS THE FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT, FEDERAL COURT OF APPEALS IN THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT. TWO YEARS AS A FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER. TWO YEARS AS A STAFF MEMBER OF THE UNITED STATES SENTENCING COMMISSION. FOUR YEARS AS ITS VICE CHAIR. YOU HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED BY THE SENATE, NOT ONCE, NOT TWICE, THREE TIMES. EACH ON A BIPARTISAN BASIS, INCLUDING TWO LIFETIME JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS. YOU BRING NEARLY A DECADE OF JUDICIAL EXPERIENCE, WHICH BY THE WAY IS MORE THAN THE COMBINED TOTAL OF THE CURRENTLY SITTING JUSTICES AT THE TIME THEY WERE NOMINATED. AGAIN, YOU ARE CLEARLY MORE THAN QUALIFIED TO SERVE AS THE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES. YES, YOU WELCOME OTHER EXPERIENCES AND EXPECTATIONS TO THE COURT YOUR INCLUDING AS A WORKING MOTHER AND A BLACK WOMAN. I LOOK FORWARD TO SPEAK FORWARD ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND, ON AND OFF THE BENCH. AND YOUR APPROACH TO THE LAW. BASED ON OUR CONVERSATIONS ALREADY, AND MY REVIEW OF YOUR RECORD, I BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE THE EXPERTS EXPERTISE, HEART TO ELEVATE THE WAY THESE DELIBERATIONS OF THE SUPREME COURT. EVERY YEAR THE SUPREME COURT DECIDES DOZENS OF CASES TO SHAPE THE LIVES OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. ONLY A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THOSE CASES WILL EVER BE HIGHLIGHTED IN HISTORY BUT MAKE THE FRONT PAGE OF NEWSPAPERS, GO VIRAL ON SOCIAL MEDIA. THE CHOICES OF THE SUPREME COURT WILL CERTAINLY SHAPE THE FUTURE OF LABOR RIGHTS, WOMEN'S RIGHTS, CRIMINAL JUSTICE, IMMIGRATION, TECHNOLOGY, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND MUCH MORE. I ALSO WANT TO BE CLEAR ABOUT SOMETHING IMPORTANT. IF YOU'RE CONFIRMED, I DO NOT EXPECT YOU TO AGREE WITH EVERY DETAIL WITH EVERY DECISION YOU MAKE. THAT IS NOT MY TEST, THAT IS NOT OUR TEST. OUR JOB ON THIS COMMITTEE IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE NEXT JUSTICE WILL HONOR THE RULE OF LAW AND THE PRINCIPLES OF EQUAL JUSTICE FOR ALL. WE MUST ENSURE THAT THE NEXT JUSTICE WILL HELP THE SUPREME COURT LIVE UP TO ITS RESPONSIBILITY TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. YES, AMERICA IS WATCHING. AMERICA IS WATCHING THESE HEARINGS TO SEE WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS, NOT JUST FOR THEMSELVES, BUT FOR THE COURT AS WELL. JUDGE JACKSON, LIKE YOU I BELIEVE IN THE GREATNESS AND THE PROMISE OF THIS NATION. I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN CONTINUE BUILDING ON OUR DREAM OF A MORE PERFECT UNION. THAT INCLUDES BUILDING A GOVERNMENT THAT BETTER REFLECTS AND REPRESENTS THE PEOPLE THAT IT SERVES. IT IS A DREAM WE SPENT TWO AND A HALF CENTURIES STRUGGLING TO REALIZE. WHILE THIS HEARING MAY NOT BE THE LAST STEP ON THE JOURNEY, IT IS A MOMENTOUS STEP MOVING FORWARD INDEED. YOU'RE AN OUTSTANDING NOMINEE FOR THE NATION'S HIGHEST COURT. I THINK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. I THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR SAFE IN AMERICA'S. YOU KNOW HOW FAR OUR NATION HAS COME. MR. CHAIR, BEFORE CLOSING, I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE A FEW WORDS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS NOMINATION. [SPEAKING A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE] JUDGE JACKSON, I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR TESTIMONY OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. I THINK YOU MR. CHAIRMAN. -- I THANK YOU FOR MR. CHAIRMAN. 