Important FACT CHECK re: the First Step Act—a landmark bipartisan Durbin/Grassley-led criminal justice reform bill.

Yesterday, the junior Senator from Arkansas questioned Judge Jackson about a case dealing with the First Step Act’s compassionate release provision. (thread)
In that case, Judge Jackson reduced the sentence of Keith Young, finding that a significant change in the law after he was sentenced was an “extraordinary and compelling” circumstance that justified compassionate release.
Judge Jackson considered multiple factors in her decision, including Mr. Young’s serious medical conditions, his limited criminal history, and good behavior in prison. And she reduced his sentence but did not end it—he will not be released until March 2028.
Senator Cotton suggested that Judge Jackson “twisted and rewrote the law.” But that’s simply not true. Other courts have taken the exact same position. In fact, it has come up so often that there is now what’s called a “circuit split” on this very question.
The 4th Circuit and the 10th Circuit have agreed with Judge Jackson's position. A circuit split like this doesn’t happen unless you have a lot of trial judges trying to resolve a difficult issue in good faith.
The Durbin/Grassley-led First Step Act passed the Senate 87-12 and was signed into law by President Donald Trump. The Senator from Arkansas's personal distaste for this landmark bill is no reason to distort Judge Jackson's record when it comes to implementing this law.
Related ICYMI: Independent fact checkers found that Senator Blackburn's claims about Jackson’s record on releasing criminals during the pandemic were "mostly FALSE."
politifact.com/factchecks/202…

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More from @JudiciaryDems

Mar 25
The Republican Leader's opposition to the first Black woman nominated to the Supreme Court must be based on some alternative set of facts—because he said himself she is "clearly qualified."

HERE are the facts ⬇️
On court packing: The size of #SCOTUS is up to Congress, not SCOTUS itself and certainly not Judge Jackson. When then-Judge Barrett was asked about Court expansion, she herself said “That is a question left open to Congress” and that she “couldn’t opine on it.”
On judicial philosophy: Now-Chief Justice Roberts during his SCOTUS confirmation hearing: “I do not have an overarching judicial philosophy that I bring to every case.” Judge Jackson went further and clearly explained her approach to decisionmaking on the bench.
Read 6 tweets
Mar 23
"The overwhelming majority of Senators were asking appropriate questions...and respectful of the nominee before us. But for many Senators, yesterday was an opportunity to showcase talking points for the November election."

Chair @SenatorDurbin starts today with a FACT CHECK ⬇️
False claim 1: All Democrats are "soft on crime."

Durbin to Jackson: "You made a mess of their stereotype… Law enforcement is on your side because you've been on their side at critical moments... So the soft on crime charge, which leads all others, falls on its face."
False claim 2: Judge Jackson is out of the mainstream when it comes to child pornography cases.

Durbin: "You are in the same place as 80% of federal judges [in District of DC cases] when it comes to sentencing on child pornography cases...You're in the mainstream of sentencing."
Read 6 tweets
Mar 22
Republicans like Hawley continue to smear Judge Jackson’s record using thoroughly debunked misrepresentations about her sentencing record. Yet recently, they missed a real opportunity to stand up for survivors of sexual abuse—reauthorizing #VAWA. (thread) nytimes.com/2022/03/21/us/…
Less than two weeks ago, many Republican Senators in the room today joined Senator Hawley in voting against a legislative package that included a reauthorization and update of the Violence Against Women Act—a law that protects and assists victims of sexual and domestic violence.
When the cameras are on, some Republicans like Hawley make grand claims about protecting survivors—at Judge Jackson’s expense.
Read 5 tweets
Mar 14
NEWS: The Judiciary Committee has officially noticed the hearing entitled “The Nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.”

More information on timing and details in this thread ⬇️
The hearings will begin on Monday, March 21 at 11:00 AM ET with statements from Committee members (10 minutes each), the individuals who will introduce Judge Jackson (5 minutes each), and Judge Jackson herself (10 minutes).
Questioning of Judge Jackson will begin on Tuesday, March 22 at 9:00 AM ET. Members will have the opportunity to ask questions for 30 minutes each, in order of seniority.
Read 6 tweets
Mar 2
BREAKING NEWS: Chair @SenatorDurbin has notified the Judiciary Committee that the hearings to consider the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court will begin on Monday, March 21, and will last four days.
The hearings will begin on Monday, March 21, with statements from Committee members, the individuals who will introduce Judge Jackson, and Judge Jackson herself. Questioning will begin on Tuesday, March 22 and continue on Wednesday, March 23.
The Committee will also meet in closed session on Wednesday, March 23 to discuss any matters relating to the nominee’s FBI background investigation. The Committee does this for every Supreme Court nominee, regardless of whether the background investigation has raised concerns.
Read 4 tweets
Jan 6
On the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, it's important to understand how we got here: violent extremism fueled by Trump’s Big Lie.

WHAT WE FOUND in our investigation into former President Trump’s campaign to pressure DOJ to overturn the election. ⬇️
On Jan 22, @ktbenner reported that Acting AAG Jeffrey Clark sought to involve DOJ in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results & plotted with then-President Trump to oust Acting AG Jeffrey Rosen, who reportedly refused Trump’s demands. /1
nytimes.com/2021/01/22/us/…
Two days later, @JessBravin & @sgurman reported that Trump had urged DOJ to file a lawsuit in the Supreme Court seeking to invalidate President Biden’s victory. /2
wsj.com/articles/trump…
Read 15 tweets

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