Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., took to Twitter on Wednesday night to express concern about President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court nominee over her record regarding convicted sex offenders.
Hawley said his research discovered “an alarming pattern” when it came to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s sentencing of sexual predators.
“I’ve been researching the record of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, reading her opinions, articles, interviews & speeches. I’ve noticed an alarming pattern when it comes to Judge Jackson’s treatment of sex offenders, especially those preying on children,” Hawley tweeted Wednesday evening.
“Judge Jackson has a pattern of letting child porn offenders off the hook for their appalling crimes, both as a judge and as a policymaker. She’s been advocating for it since law school. This goes beyond ‘soft on crime.’ I’m concerned that this a record that endangers our children.”
Biden, who has pledged to name the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, nominated Jackson on Feb. 25 to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer.
Hawley cited several cases as evidence of Jackson’s liberal approach with sex offenders. Among the cases he mentioned were:
- “In the case of United States v. Hawkins, the sex offender had multiple images of child porn. He was over 18. The Sentencing Guidelines called for a sentence of up to 10 years. Judge Jackson sentenced the perpetrator to only 3 months in prison. Three months,” Hawley tweeted.
- “In United States v. Cooper, in which the criminal had more than 600 images and videos and posted many on a public blog, the Guidelines called for a sentence of 151-188 months. Judge Jackson settled on 60 months, the lowest possible sentence allowed by law,” he tweeted.
- “In United States v. Chazin, the offender had 48 files of child porn, which he had accessed over a period of years. The Guidelines recommended 78-97 months. Judge Jackson gave him 28,” he tweeted.
- “In United States v. Downs, the perp posted multiple images to an anonymous instant messaging app, including an image of a child under the age of 5. The Guidelines recommended 70-87 months. Judge Jackson gave him the lowest sentence allowed by law, 60 months,” he tweeted.
- “In United States v. Savage, the sex offender was convicted of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and also admitted to transporting child porn. The Guidelines recommended 46-57 months. Judge Jackson gave him 37,” he tweeted.
Hawley is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee that will begin its confirmation hearing for Jackson on Monday. He said his findings about the judge concerned him.
“This is a disturbing record for any judge, but especially one nominated to the highest court in the land. Protecting the most vulnerable shouldn’t be up for debate. Sending child predators to jail shouldn’t be controversial,” Hawley tweeted.
Jackson received her commission as a U.S. Circuit Judge in June 2021. From 2013-21, she served a U.S. District Judge, and until December 2014, she also served as a vice chair and commissioner on the U.S. Sentencing Commission.
“So far, the Sentencing Commission has refused to turn over all Judge Jackson’s records from her time there. In light of what we have learned, this stonewalling must end. We must get access to all relevant records,” he tweeted.
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