THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. I'M GOING TO TRY TO SPREAD SOME ALOHA INTO THIS ROOM. [LAUGHTER] I'M TAKING A LEAVE FROM MY FRIEND SITTING TO MY LEFT. AT LEAST YOU AND I ARE COLOR-COORDINATED TODAY. SINCE 2018, I HAVE BEEN ASKING EVERY NOMINEE THAT COMES BEFORE THE COMMITTEES ON WHICH I SIT THE TWO QUESTIONS THAT I ASKED YOU AT THE START OF MY TIME. NAMELY WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAVE A HISTORY OF SEXUAL ASSAULT OR HARASSMENT. THIS IS SOMETHING I STARTED IN 2018 TO MAKE SURE THAT HARASSMENT AND ABUSE THAT WOMEN HAVE PUT UP WITH SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL DIDN'T CONTINUE TO GET SWEPT UNDER THE RUG. I FOUND THESE QUESTIONS TO BE IMPORTANT FOR NOMINEES TO THE JUDICIARY. AS CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS STATED IN 2017, EVENTS OF RECENT MONTHS HAVE ELIMINATED THE DEPTH OF THE PROBLEM OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE. AND EVENTS HAVE MADE CLEAR THAT THE JUDICIAL BRANCH IS NOT IMMUNE. HERE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES OF ABUSIVE PRACTICES BY FEDERAL JUDGES. DECEMBER 20 17, 6 FORMAL -- FORMER LAW CLERKS ACCUSED NINE -- NINTH CIRCUIT JUDGE OF SUBJECTING THEM TO A RANGE OF INAPPROPRIATE COMMENTS. IN 2019, A COUNCIL ISSUED AN ORDER FINDING THAT A DISTRICT COURT JUDGE, I APOLOGIZE IF I MISPRONOUNCE HIS LAST NAME, HAD HARASSED MULTIPLE EMPLOYEES OVER A TIME OF YEARS INCLUDING BY SUBJECTING THEM TO SUBJECTS -- SEXUALLY SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS, INAPPROPRIATE TEXT MESSAGES, AND EXCESSIVE NONWORK RELATED CONDUCT. FEBRUARY 2020, A FORMER LAW CLERK TO THE LATE NIGHT CIRCUIT JUDGE ACCUSED THE JUDGE OF A MONTH-LONG HARASSMENT CAMPAIGN. THESE ARE A FEW OF THE CASES THAT WE KNOW ABOUT. THERE ARE UNDOUBTEDLY MORE THAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT BECAUSE OF THE POWER IMBALANCE BETWEEN FEDERAL JUDGES AND THEIR CLERKS AND EMPLOYEES WHO OFTEN RELY ON CONNECTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO ADVANCE IN THEIR CAREERS. BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF LEGAL RECOURSE TO THE JUDICIAL EMPLOYEES. MANY MAY NOT REALIZE THIS BUT THE FEDERAL JUDICIAL BRANCH EMPLOYEES ARE NOT PROTECTED BY THE FOUNDATIONAL FEDERAL STATUTES SUCH AS TITLE VII OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964 THAT PROHIBIT DISCRIMINATION AND RETALIATION. THAT'S WHY I INTRODUCE ALONG WITH CHAIR DURBIN AND SENATORS THE JUDICIAL ACCOUNTABILITY ACT WHICH WOULD ENSURE THE MORE THAN 30,000 EMPLOYEES OF THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY HAVE STRONG STATUTORY RIGHTS AND PROTECTIONS AGAINST DISCRIMINATION, SEXUAL HARASSMENT, RETALIATION, AND OTHER FORMS OF WORKPLACE CONDUCT. I KNOW YOU CAN'T COMMENT ON LEGISLATION SO I WON'T ASK YOU EITHER YOU SUPPORT THE ACCOUNTABILITY ACT INSTEAD, I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR WHAT YOU DO TO MAKE SURE YOUR CHAMBERS IS A SAFE INCLUSIVE PLACE TO WORK? JUDGE JACKSON: THANK YOU, SENATOR. AS YOU KNOW, I HAVE BEEN A JUDGE NOW FOR ALMOST A DECADE. I TAKE MY RESPONSIBILITIES NOT ONLY TO HEAR AND DECIDE CASES SERIOUSLY, BUT ALSO MY RESPONSIBILITY AS AN EMPLOYER THAT I BRING LAW CLERKS INTO MY CHAMBERS. I WAS A LAW CLERK TO THREE WONDERFUL JUDGES WHO WERE ROLE MODELS FOR ME. I TRY TO ACT AS A ROLE MODEL TO MY LAW CLERKS. I TRY TO BRING IN PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE RESPECT OF OTHERS, PEOPLE WHO COME WITH STRONG RECOMMENDATIONS. PEOPLE WHO I THINK WE'LL GET ALONG WITH ONE ANOTHER. PEOPLE WHO I THINK WILL GET ALONG WITH ME. WE CREATE A LITTLE GROUP, WORKING GROUP AND I THINK THAT IT HAS WORKED OUT WELL. ...