Senate Judiciary questions Jennifer Mascotte on independence, ethics and ties to Delaware

President Trump’s nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Professor Jennifer Mascotte, faced sustained questioning Wednesday at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing about her academic writings, past advocacy and ties to Delaware.

The exchange centered on judicial independence, compliance with judicial ethics, and whether Mascotte’s record of scholarship and public commentary would affect her ability to apply Supreme Court precedent impartially.

Sen. Charles Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, opened the panel by defending the committee’s role in vetting nominees and arguing for timely floor consideration. "When nominees clear this committee, they deserve a timely vote," Grassley said. He described Mascotte as "well known and well respected by this committee" and noted her record of clerking for two Supreme Court justices and being cited by the Court.

Ranking Member Sen. Dick Durbin said partisan holds and delays on the Senate floor have left nominees and justice offices understaffed, and pressed the hearing’s broader context of judicial confirmations. "For decades, the Senate confirmed…