Paul Ryan praises Biden’s SCOTUS pick: ‘Incredibly happy for Ketanji’

Former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R) on Friday praised President Biden’s nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson, a federal appeals judge in Washington, D.C., to the Supreme Court.

“Janna and I are incredibly happy for Ketanji and her entire family. Our politics may differ, but my praise for Ketanji’s intellect, for her character, and for her integrity, is unequivocal,” Ryan said in a tweet.

His comment is similar to the one he used to introduce her for her first federal judgeship in 2012.

Ryan’s sister-in-law is married to Jackson’s brother-in-law. 

Ketanji is the first Black woman to be nominated to the Supreme Court, with labor and civil rights groups praising the move. 

However, some Republicans have already condemned the nomination, with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) saying Biden’s pick was a win for the “radical left.”

Graham is one of three Republicans who less than a year ago voted for Jackson to serve in the U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) also previously voted for Jackson and said she is looking forward to the confirmation hearing for Jackson’s Supreme Court position.

“Ketanji Brown Jackson is an experienced federal judge with impressive academic and legal credentials,” Collins said after the nomination announcement. “I will conduct a thorough vetting of Judge Jackson’s nomination and look forward to her public hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee and to meeting with her in my office.”

The Senate consists of 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans for the nomination, with Vice President Harris as the tie-breaking vote.