WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton said he had a "cordial" conversation Tuesday with U.S. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, a federal appeals court judge who, if confirmed, would become the first Black woman to serve on the nation's top court.
The Arkansas Republican did not expand on what topics the two covered during the meeting, but he said he's looking forward to upcoming confirmation hearings with Jackson before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
When asked about his approach to the hearings, Cotton, who sits on the Judiciary Committee, said it's possible "to both press a nominee on their views and be respectful and civil and cordial."
"I hope that all colleagues try to do that with her," he said after his meeting with Jackson.
Cotton has stayed tight-lipped about his thoughts on President Joe Biden's Supreme Court nominee. It also remains to be seen how Cotton, a potential 2024 presidential candidate, will handle Jackson's high-profile confirmation hearings.
Jackson was nominated to fill the Supreme Court seat now held by Justice Stephen Breyer, who announced earlier this year that he would retire. Breyer, 83, was nominated by former President Bill Clinton.
Jackson is not expected to shift the ideological balance of the nation's top court if confirmed. She was seen entering Cotton's office Tuesday afternoon and left about 45 minutes later.
Weeks ago, Cotton said constituents can expect a "full and thorough review" of Jackson's record and legal views.
In late January, before Jackson's nomination was announced, Cotton acknowledged the limitations of Republican support for a Biden Supreme Court nominee during an interview on Fox News.
"I can't say that I've got wild expectations that Joe Biden is going to nominate someone who I think I can support or many Republicans can support," he said. "Because I've seen dozens of his nominees to the lower courts, and they've almost, to a person, been left-wing ideologues who think judges should make the law, rather than apply and uphold the Constitution and the laws as they are passed."
Jackson, a former federal public defender, is a federal appeals court judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Cotton, along with fellow Arkansas U.S. Sen. John Boozman, voted against her confirmation to the appellate court.
Cotton avoided sharp questioning during Jackson's confirmation hearing last year for the appellate court seat.
During that hearing, Cotton struck a civil tone with Jackson as he asked her about the Second Amendment and whether she had represented a terrorist from the Guantanamo Bay detention center.
The judge said she represented a person from the detention center more than 15 years ago when she worked as a federal public defender and the case was assigned to her.
Cotton's meeting with the Supreme Court nominee comes less than a week before hearings on Jackson's nomination are set to begin.
Also on Tuesday, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina held a brief sit-down with Jackson.
Graham, who was one of three Republicans to support Jackson's confirmation last year to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, met with Jackson for roughly 15 minutes. However, Graham appears less likely to support the judge's elevation to the high court after he publicly campaigned for Biden to select federal Judge J. Michelle Childs, a fellow South Carolinian, for the Supreme Court seat.
Jackson did not respond to questions about the briefness of the meeting. Graham remained in his office after the judge's exit and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., announced that Jackson's confirmation hearings will start on Monday with statements from committee members and Jackson. The questioning of Jackson is scheduled to start on Tuesday and continue into the following day.
The hearings are set to end on March 24, according to Durbin.
Information for this article was contributed by Bryan Lowry of McClatchy Washington Bureau (TNS).