Anger, theatrics, fluff: Were Supreme Court confirmation hearings always like this?

The Senate confirmation hearings for President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, have concluded. They were quite ugly at times, and it seemed like nobody changed their mind about Judge Jackson or their vote. So, was it always like this? At what point did they start getting less civil? Does today's version of a Supreme Court confirmation hearing serve any vital purpose, or is it just fodder for Senators' campaign videos? Dr. Susan Liebell, Professor of Political Science at Saint Joseph's University is on the podcast to answer our questions about the history and future of Supreme Court hearings in front of the Senate.

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