No matter what your political party, you have to admit any candidate being grilled for the job of U.S. Supreme Court justice is made of sterner stuff than most of us.

The three-day, televised process is only a small part of the ordeal, but one charged with drama and often animosity.

Imagine asking a job applicant how faithful they are to their religious denomination? Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was.

Questions off the table for most job applicants such as gender, disability, sex or sexual orientation, marital status, family, race or ethnicity are added color to Supreme Court justice vetting process.

We got to watch Judge Jackson talk about every aspect of her life and that of her family. She is then expected to sit composed while each member of the Senate Judiciary Committee has 30 minutes to question her. Some, especially potential presidential candidates, made her the focus of their political animosity while others heaped praise and pontificated on the historic nature of her nomination bringing her to tears.

A tough interview. One that others before her also had to endure.

To reach this level, candidates have been vetted, their careers and personal lives picked apart. Judge Jackson would not be sitting in front of the Senators if she didn’t have high qualifications.

In fact, the Senate agreed and has confirmed her three times, including recently for her appointment to the District of Columbia Circuit Court in 2021.

At this point in the hiring process, most employers would be trying to see if the candidate would spark with the team, be a leader and dedicated to the job at hand. Hard questions are expected; yelling is not.

There is the question of motivation. Judge Jackson has told us hers. She wants this job because says she loves this country and will defend the Constitution. She wants to be a role model for others.

What will be the motivation behind the vote to confirm or reject Judge Jackson? What will the Senators base their decision on? Will politics rear its ugly head yet again? Or will the candidate’s knowledge, enthusiasm and ability to add to the court’s strength be weighted?

Judge Jackson made the cut in 2009 when she was confirmed to the U.S. Sentencing Commission. She received bipartisan support when appointed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in 2013 and again when she was confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in 2021.

The final committee vote on Jackson’s nomination is April 4, and then a Senate floor vote is planned later that week.

Like any job candidate, Judge Jackson awaits the answer. We just hope her enthusiasm for working in the judicial system and love of country continues.

— DJS