Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said on Monday at the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court Associate Justice nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson that the court is an intricate part of upholding the rule of law in the United States.

Cotton and other Republicans are expected to focus on Jackson’s past rulings, which have been described as soft-on-crime decisions.

Cotton said the rule of law has suffered under the administration of Joe Biden, who nominated Jackson to keep a campaign promise.

“These threats to the rule of law are not merely theoretical,” Cotton said. “We are witnessing a breakdown of society.”

“There are many Americans who no longer feel safe today,” Cotton said. “Parents are scared to walk down the streets that used to be free from crime. In 2020 Anarchists, rioters and left-wing street militias raged across the country, and murders increased at the fastest rate in history.”

U.S. President Joe Biden looks on as Ketanji Brown Jackson delivers brief remarks as his nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court during an event in the Cross Hall of the White House February 25, 2022, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

“And in the first year of the Biden administration, violent crime got even worse,” Cotton said. “It’s no coincidence that this violence came as localities and states push to defund the police and reduce the punishment for criminals.” 

“Career criminals are committing violent crimes and going free under the guise of a supposedly more equitable justice system, and liberal judges who have more sympathy for the victimizers than for the victims are a big part of the problem,” Cotton said. “The Biden administration is committed to the soft-on-crime policies like ending cash bail to create a catch and release system for violent criminals.”

“Progressive Soros prosecutors who are supported by the Biden administration have nullified entire sections of law to destroy our criminal justice system from within,” Cotton said.

Monday was devoted to senators and Jackson’s opening statement. Questions from senators should take place in hearings over the next four days.

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