WASHINGTON: The US Senate Judiciary Committee has begun hearings on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's appointment to the Supreme Court.

According to reports, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin emphasised Jackson's qualifications and the historic circumstances of her nomination by President Joe Biden in his opening remarks on Monday.

"President Biden recommended you because he recognised your exceptional qualifications," said the Illinois Democrat. "We can identify what kind of lawyer, judge, and person you are based on your professional record and life experience." If approved, Jackson, 51, who presently serves on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, would become the first African-American woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

"The Supreme Court has had 115 Justices in its more than 230-year history," Durbin concluded. "There hasn't been a single Black woman on the Supreme Court. Judge Jackson, you have the option of being the first." Senator Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said he'll be looking at Jackson's legal thought in his remarks.

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