MUST WATCH: John Kennedy Rapid-Fire Peppers Biden Judicial Nominee With Question After Question

At today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) grilled Sara E. Hill, nominee to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Oklahoma.
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[@jessicapurdy6715]

Wow - a candidate who actually gives answers!! This is so refreshing! :)

[@jd-zr3vk]

He is not interrupting her like he does others.

[@uingaeoc3905]

@@jd-zr3vk He interrupts them when they do not answer the question and make rambling statements.

[@kyletroknya2419]

@@uingaeoc3905 Correct

[@Davmartin-kp1yq]

@@jd-zr3vkthat’s because the others don’t actually answer the question they phillabuster

[@jd-zr3vk]

@Davmartin-kp1yq He does not tolerate opposing viewpoints and will cut off witnesses after they say just a few words. They don't get a chance to answer his questions.

[@NigelTufnel612]

The first time one of Biden's nominees doesn't thank the Senator for every question.

[@HeyLiss328]

My observation, when they say "thank you senator for the question" , what comes out after is poop

[@stevenlight5006]

There running out of time

[@rafewheadon1963]

she is not "diverse" so...

[@helentaylor1222]

She's honest she'll pass

[@jakerazmataz852]

@@helentaylor1222 I actually agree. And in any interview, they can find stuff you don't know or remember. I can't fault her for that.

[@ethanwallison-ji1xv]

He reminds me of Colombo He is very friendly and keeps coming back to visit and ask questions--at which time you know you are in trouble LOL

[@eduardopena5893]

"Oh.....uh.....just one more thing....." Case closed.

[@mikes9759]

Miss Hill answered more questions than all the other people put together than I have seen in 2 years!!!! And without any of the gibberish!!!!

[@PutDownTheBunny]

I have seen much worse grilling's by Senator Kennedy in the past. The nominee did better than the average.

[@glennrishton5679]

Yes the only thing making me hesitant is she is a Biden nominee.

[@Davmartin-kp1yq]

* Better than average for a Biden appointee . There fixed it for you

[@tearl5676]

Senator Kennedy only goes full tilt boogie if the nominee, of either party, tries to filibuster and pettifog instead of answering the question, if you play straight, he plays straight.

[@keithammleter3824]

She did very well, recovered from an initial memory lapse over colateral estoppel, which would not come up in practice very often if ever. Colateral estopel is the principle that you shouldn't try to litigate the same matter twice. you either appeal on the basis of error in procedure by the court, or you accept what the court decided. Colateral estoppel is an archaic, obsolete term - it is usually called these days as issue preclusion.

[@larrysorenson4789]

When she regained her composure she was really well spoken.

[@kevinstaggs5048]

She was nervous and clearly didn't know some things, BUT at least she answered direct questions. Most times a Democrat thanks the senator for the question and then says a lot of words without ever answering the question. Give credit where it is due.

[@mike777yeah]

You did hear the end? The panel was given a list of possible questions (cheat sheet) by the DEMS.

[@dwightcurrie8316]

Not sure I've ever seen a nominee actually answer a question. Took me a minute to figure out what was happening. It's like finding 150 Four Leaf Clovers 1n 5 minutes I'm Shocked

[@1cbsmithsanjuan]

I thought the same thing. She did her best to answer what she could. I bet he voted to confirm her.

[@keithammleter3824]

She answered every question, and answered correctly, except the first one, which was the meaning of an archaic term in common law. She's very good.

[@tammymann3624]

Love this man

[@maudefindlay3949]

😂 get higher standards

[@riverotter68]

if only he did this with Trump nominees instead of rubber stamping them. Aileen Cannon, for example

[@tammymann3624]

@@maudefindlay3949 i fine with my morals and standards

[@danielwhirley6779]

​@@tammymann3624same here

[@JR-ut1yx]

​@maudefindlay3949 yeah vote foe brandon 😅

[@mareelwood7270]

Kudos to this lawyer. I don't claim to know anything about her but thanks for being direct with your answers and admitting when you cant recall an answer. We all have a brain freeze under pressure once in a while. Just playing along on game shows i have experienced it, and it drives me nuts. The best part was no bs in trying to "buy time" by saying "thanks for your question". Geez i hate that. Refreshing to listen to them both.

[@kabicabby6427]

Finally a judge that answers questions

[@benjaminrobelo6044]

Senator Durbin tries to make a joke about Senator Kennedy asking technical questions about the Law, as if it was a “bar exam”. Gee, I wish all job interviews with the Senate would ask technical questions about the matter at hand to make sure the nominees are able to do their job correctly and not base their decisions on personal feelings and opinions.

[@harveywilkinson2432]

LOL you think Aileen Cannon would have passed that test? 🤡🤡🤡

[@peterrocha9474]

No offense, but Senator Durbin reminds me of Ralph Furley of Three’s Company.

[@phylliscurtner5578]

​@@peterrocha9474 You're right he does. Lol

[@harveywilkinson2432]

One of the largest and bluest states in the nation is represented by what is basically a moderate Republican. Meanwhile true swing states like Wisconsin are represented by right-wing extremist freak shows like Ron Johnson. The Senate is broken. @@phylliscurtner5578

[@glennrishton5679]

Absolutely not Personal feelings and opinions whether knowingly or unknowingly can slant a view and a judgement. Would you vote to confirm a judge who 30 years previous had written a law review article saying the Thirteenth Amendment should be repealed then in later tweets called for harsher sentencing for black people because they are natural criminals? He was only expressing personal opinions and feelings afterall. Also I have seen where Senator Kennedy asks many technical legal questions of nominees, this was the first to give coherent answers even with a few stumbles.

[@sdog7847]

Glad to see she doesn't take endless mental breaks saying "thank you for the question senator". But, there is an obvious difference between her level of judicial knowledge and that of Ted Cruz.

[@chadrogers4811]

Though she needs to go back to law school, here's finally a nominee that will at least actually admit she doesn't know the answers.

[@katherinemakinney7278]

She shouldn't be a federal judge. Period.

[@jimbellinger9263]

I think this is another terrible candidate, but not for a lack of honesty. For the sheer fact that whatever she has done in her law career has been so specialized that she doesn't have a full picture of the law, the courts, and how these two co-exist. That being said, I think it can be incredibly difficult to cobble together a career in law that covers a wide latitude of things to be exposed to for a person to be a good SCOTUS candidate. Just like the rest of us have to climb the ladder in our respective industries, these people do too, and it doesn't always lead to them to being anything more than an overpaid specialist of something so minute, that no one else would even understand what they're talking about. Again, at least she's honest.

[@begshallots]

@@jimbellinger9263I know I don’t have the knowledge to judge. She’s not be nominated for SCOTUS. The last question seemed important. The other ones I just don’t know. Your comment would be easier to understand if you gave context in terms of what your position is and how you are judging her. What’s your legal standard, what should she have known and why… if you have legal training of some kind, it helps to know.

[@stylianparthemos5245]

Collateral estoppel is a first-year law school concept. It is astonishing that someone who does not know what collateral estoppel is would be nominated for a federal judgeship.

[@jd-zr3vk]

Can you answer every fundamental question for your profession? I am an RN and have forgotten a lot even though I am an expert in a specialty.

[@tearl5676]

I'll give her points for answering to the best of her ability instead of doing a song and dance around the question, and if she didn't know, she admitted "I don't know". This is how it should go.

[@kindergartenminds907]

Great job Kennedy!

[@tammymann3624]

We all know ignorance to the law but dang they hire them too

[@maudefindlay3949]

what ignorance? She couldn't supply accurate answer to literally one question and she said I don't recall. The trumps use that phrase all the time.

[@oliverhenri3477]

Oh, please. This woman is not ignorant. It was refreshing to see someone attempt to answer the questions instead of dodging and weaving.

[@ralphholiman7401]

A friend of mine was up for a federal district judge appointment, and he attended the hearing with four other nominees. The first nominee, picked at random to go first, just got hammered with questions, and my friend was wondering what his time in the chair would be like. However, after the first nominee's questioning was concluded, the other four were told the time was up and they would be confirmed without a hearing. As they were walking out of the chambers, the nominee who got hammered told my friend and the others, "I feel bad about taking all of the time." And, my friend told him, "I think the rest of us think we ought to buy you lunch."

[@HeyLiss328]

😮 confirmed without a hearing, that is not cool

[@MarkSarg]

That's not good....getting appointed w/o taking questions to see if they're qualified....

[@keithammleter3824]

Sen Kennedy had probably done his pre-hearing digging and decided they had never said or done anything bad, and had done good work, except the one who got grilled.

[@ralphholiman7401]

@@keithammleter3824 , no, they asked the five who wanted to go first. It's a lot of theatre going on.

[@ralphholiman7401]

@@MarkSarg , it's all theatre.

[@rickychristiansen9830]

He’s brilliant with his questioning and ability to get down to the meat and potatoes of a subject.

[@StonefacePoliticsintheGr-zc1vr]

Federal judges need to know the law

[@user-fj3wo5ml4v]

Exactly...and the Constitution!

[@glennrishton5679]

The law is actually too big for anyone person to know intimately. Consider how many volumes in the tax code, the CFR. A federal judge and their law clerks need to know where to find answers including prior district court and SCOTUS decisions and dissents.

[@dysFUNctionalOnes]

Man for a 20 year judge she sure is nervous talking about stuff she should know

[@dc1397]

I think a rookie professional football player would be nervous his first time as well, even with a possibility of having 10 to 15 years of playing ball from pee-wees up through college.

[@LotusLacky]

So far the 'most qualified' of all the nominees I have seen.

[@anguskd]

Wow! A biden appointee that 1) answers questions AND 2) actually got a couple correct!!! What an absolute ringer! Much better than Kentanji Jackson and Sotomayor.

[@UncleRandy73]

13th amendment did not “abolish slavery” it states clearly that slavery can be used for punishment of a crime. “And there ain’t no good chain gang.. “ Waylon Jennings

[@sojournerdelaterra6144]

It's used all the time in law. Being bound to complete community service as part of a punishment is one. Chain gangs and other hard labor are another. But law-derived slavery is rarely permanent. In law-derived slavery, the slaver, while having temporary jurisdiction and custody over a person, they do not OWN the person. The 13th was used to abolished the slavery that gave one person ownership over another and clarified what was actual slavery, in the furthest sense.. So, slavery, in that sense, was abolished. It's all word play really. It's nice to have people like yourself point stuff out like this. In this world of bits and bytes and half-truths, seeking precision and clarity can't be ignored.

[@UncleRandy73]

@@sojournerdelaterra6144 Yea you are right. I compare it to the “prohibition” of alcohol until the government could figure out how to regulate and tax it. It’s all about commerce. The government has to control every aspect of commerce all the way down to the W-2 form. They abolished slavery by individuals but practice it everyday in the judicial system.

[@CostaMesaPhotography]

I'm not a lawyer, so I accepted the answer, but based on your comment I thought i'd look it up. And it appears as if you're right, and the "abolish slavery" answer is incorrect. What I found was this-- Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, EXCEPT FOR PUNISHMENT for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. It's the exception which obviously disqualifies the simplistic "abolish slavery" answer. I think in practical terms this form of punishment would now be considered as "cruel and unusual" which dovetailed into the other question/answer exchange between Kennedy and Hill. There are many instances where you see people working within the prison system, but from what I understand, it's voluntary and there are rewards/incentives offered for doing so. But I think you for you comment...got me thinking at this very early hour of the day...sun not up yet.

[@agb1953]

Even I know what it is because I learned about it from an episode of Law & Order. It prevents someone from relitigating an issue that has already been decided.

[@monotech20.14]

Wrong.

[@P.Kenney]

I believe that's Double Jeopardy!

[@agb1953]

@@monotech20.14 Really? Unlike you, if I'm going to claim somebody is wrong, I prove it. So, exactly what is collateral estoppel? I learned this stuff at the UT Knoxville College of Law. My actual education beats your Google search every time.

[@agb1953]

@@P.KenneyNope. Double jeopardy is about retrying somebody for a crime after a verdict, and that concept derives from collateral estoppel. But in civil law the concept is about issue preclusion.

[@nordan00]

That point of law was assiduously explicated in the Gilligan’s Island episode, “Dr Gilligan and Mr Hyde.”

[@taradeleeuw2344]

Waiting for the “good”judge

[@victorcasa6355]

I'm impressed with both Hill and Kennedy today

[@melissahyslop1324]

😂

[@davidhouston5783]

She answered his questions

[@JohnDoe-oj5it]

Got to luv Mr. KENNEDY. I would like to have a beer with him someday I'm 73

[@Thinking-Through]

"Judge Hill, what is your first name." "Oh, I know that one. It's on the tip of my tongue, but it has never come up in my court." It is a bit of a high standard to ask a judge to know the law or court terminology. The Dems only require that you rule in their favor. Being black, a women, gay, or trans is a plus.

[@user-jq4gn4yd2s]

Finally a person that doesnt spin every answer

[@Legalese1776]

lol. At the end she confuses collateral estoppel with promissory estoppel. Lord have mercy.

[@kathybrown7658]

They're all like this. Too busy writing far left idiotic screeds to know the law. Scary-how'd you like Bjelkengren? Charnelle? My God-

[@pauldesmond6592]

Durbin should be more embarrassed than the incompetent nominee.

[@kennethng8346]

If I were to ever go up before Congress for a position I would definitely review every question asked in the past.

[@Strazman]

Man, give this guy an attorney's license. He knows his stuff.

[@jeffh.2588]

He has one.

[@Administrator_O-5]

Uh yeah, he has been a lawyer since the 70s...

[@x-men69-96]

He is the OG.

[@Strazman]

sar·casm /ˈsärˌkazəm/ noun noun: sarcasm; plural noun: sarcasms the use of irony to mock or convey contempt. "his voice, hardened by sarcasm, could not hide his resentment"

[@Administrator_O-5]

@@Strazman ok so now you know what sarcasm means, now you just have to learn how to actually use it so that you're not the only one that knew that was your intent, because your delivery sucked.

[@fatsidekick]

She did a good job. There’s a lot of this shit no one can recall and instead of the typical democrat non answer she just sat there and answered. 👍

[@suziematthews5520]

SENATOR KENNEDY I LUV U ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ INTELLIGENT FUNNY .😅😅U CANT B.S. UR WAY BY HIM 👍 ....HES 2 WISE ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@BigGiantMonster]

I know what collateral estoppel is from watching Law & Order. If a person is found not guilty of a crime, collateral estoppel prevents a prosecutor from trying to prove otherwise in any subsequent cases.

[@jeffg.8964]

Every first-year law student knows what collateral estoppel is! Let’s try res judicata and ask her to explain the difference from collateral estoppel. Next up, explain the rule against perpetuities!

[@bobmalack481]

It's a perpetual estoppel thats not colateral but is binary in unilateral involvement.

[@cuckoojack]

John Kennedy is a pure gold

[@dusthue]

Keep that person answering the questions.

[@filmtajm35]

Wow! She's at least honest, nervous, but honest. In stark contrast with so many others. I would say: Approved.

[@birdsoundsbird575]

My favorite senator!!!

[@user-vj8uu2te8m]

Wow you had them dumbfounded

[@Kickinthearse923]

Obuscation - bright lights. Lol

[@aquariandawn4750]

Maybe her earrings are too heavy

[@marilyn3021]

Wow she did pretty good!!

[@user-vg4cl4cx3w]

For a Biden nomination, but no she did not do well.

[@walterkersting9922]

Collateral estoppel is the unintended consequence of Stoppel.

[@tammymann3624]

Bright lights of the moment

[@rayspeakmon2954]

I can't recall because of bright lights? Are you kidding?

[@wendibernhardt9190]

Somebody else not gonna answer because they don't know

[@Amanda-dq2kf]

As a judicial nominee you need to live and breathe fundamental legal concepts. I understand being nervous but yikes I don’t even think if this was interview at a law firm that she’d be hired. These question should be muscle memory if you’re contemplating that position.

[@williammcconnell8141]

A 4TH YEAR LAW STUDENT KNOWS MORE THAN HER ACTUALLY SOME HIGH SCHOOL KIDS KNOW MORE THAN HER MY 8TH GRADE CIVICS TEACHER WOULD EMBARRASS HER IF THEY MATCHED WITS ABOUT THESE QUESTIONS

[@travisjones7903]

The study of Law is a 3 year endeavor…

[@williammcconnell8141]

Ok, so its 3 years. My point is she's not very good at her trade@@travisjones7903

[@glennrishton5679]

@@travisjones7903 That only gives one a rudimentary start then the Bar exam

[@tkarlmann]

Senator Kennedy: Tricky Dicky Durbin MAY have been asking you for your questions so the HE could supply them beforehand to Left-Leaning semi-qualified 'judges' instead of the WH! BTW: Fantastic questioning of these candidates! Why aren't all Senators on this committee doing likewise??? Why did Dickie need to ask you for your questions, can't he think of his own?

[@elimaurer9491]

What?! These questions are easy Latin....how about...'How many fingers am I holding up?'

[@katherinemakinney7278]

"Not super familiar" with the law but wants to be a federal judge.

[@hotrod8915]

Well, we got a genius on our hands here.

[@aquariandawn4750]

I was initially going to say asking a woman to admit that she doesn't know something is pretty freaking funny... But then I realized most people are like that nowadays not just women.

[@mballer]

This can't be the best the country has to offer.

[@barcodebattler2587]

She knows it! But the bright lights are stopping her!!! Hahahahlololollylozhaha...unbelievable.

[@josephkressin9234]

At least she admits she dont know, hopefully she looks it up if she dont know something if she is confirmed or asks

[@alliebirkin8661]

I feel like Kennedy wasn’t prepared for her to know the answers. You could tell he was frustrated that he had to think of an extra one 😂

[@chriscastle6068]

Love Kennedy, he always gets to the point, and tries to test for competency.

[@itishazel]

90 years old Grassley is still working

[@duanegarcia8487]

Changing values..... God bless the USA

[@helentaylor1222]

It would be good to know how Miss Hill gets on

[@user-vg4cl4cx3w]

I’m… lol I think collateral… um…. The bright light made me forget… That’s a F NO. These people are no even close to being qualified to run an ice cream shop. My GOD! She literally knew nothing. How can she even be nominated.

[@privateer0561]

Just should've said "No, thank you". I had to look this stuff up, but it seems quite basic, especially the difference between an injunction and a stay.

[@AU88]

My gosh. You learn collateral estoppel first week of contracts as a 1L.

[@maryturk5409]

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERY ONE

[@proud2bejcan]

I think she did well. I think she was nervous. I don’t mind her.

[@brendaflournoy4826]

Bright lights??? She's a hard no!! She doesn't even know the law!!!

[@nordan00]

Sounded good to me!

[@jjisella]

Doesn't know the difference between a stay and an injunction? WTF?

[@vickisoup]

This “stay order” ignorance is troubling. Does that mean she would never issue one?

[@melissahyslop1324]

The University of Tulsa must be so proud😂

[@Administrator_O-5]

Oh imagine that yet another appointee that has no clue, she'll fit right in with the rest of the clown car.

[@bigstew9724]

Check boxes, THIS is what you get!

[@monotech20.14]

Great. She answered every question he had.

[@jab-gn3sw]

​@@monotech20.14Incorrectly & Incompetently

[@monotech20.14]

@@jab-gn3sw laws and precedents are changed all the time in courts.

[@maudefindlay3949]

​@@jab-gn3sw how so? your misogyny is duly noted.

[@bigstew9724]

@@monotech20.14 SHE started out not answering the 1st question period, then blabbered in with MOST of the rest and didn’t know the answers to others. Wake up!

[@MrRaymondWhitney]

Was she nervous or just incompetent? If she expects to be a federal judge, then she should have come prepared for this! Senator Kennedy is very calm and easy going. He is not trying to intimate her. She just doesn't seem to know her stuff. 😢

[@nicholasm2239]

That looked like.nerves to me. Particularly after getting rattled on #1, she didn't seem confident even in the ones she knows was right. I'd take nerves over incompetence tho, she's the best one so far

[@bobmalack481]

She kmows SOME of her stuff which is an 'improvement' over 95% of the other Biden nominee's.

[@monkmchorning]

It's called badgering.

[@spcvonhamm8857]

Kennedy sure knows how to shut off the dance music and turn on the bright lights 👍

[@billmorison6073]

I think I just found elizabeth may's doppelganger

[@Hashkatina]

This candidate did a good job on answering the questions.

[@phuvo8926]

Like what???? Stay order and injunction????

[@bobmalack481]

She doesn't check ALL the boxes, but at least she seems HALFWAY. competant. Robert at 68.

[@user-tz3fr3vb7d]

if you dont know just tell me ? 🤣 and these creeps are politicians that decide right and wrong for masses

[@michaelstevenson4926]

Deer in the headlights

[@MarkSarg]

Sad....20yrs on the bench and she doesn't know what a stay order is?? Also, sounded a little like Kamala .....

[@melissahyslop1324]

Oklahoma says “no thank you”

[@javereswilliams2772]

The senate democrats will still confirm her anyway

[@gato_gc821]

After couple questions , Was really hoping she won't be another victim of Mr Kennedy. good for her admitting when not fully sure of the subject. 😊

[@danielwhirley6779]

She did good

[@LauraLosty]

How did she pass the law exam?

[@2Pax123]

Outside of not knowing what a STAY is, she did ok

[@robcandiani6355]

Shes fired please😢.

[@anaverageamerican7224]

I'm not an attorney and when I know what estoppal means because I'm a business person that has it in my contact least.

[@theburrowrises8549]

Always a pleasure to watch Senator Kennedy feed.

[@houstonconservative1776]

He literally owned that but at least she wasn't arrogant and rude

[@duppykitoon]

"I think, um.... well... um...

[@MNDrummer]

Business are people........ owners, workers, investors. People have free speech rights and therefore businesses have free speech rights. Why we allow our government to restrict business speech or campaign contributions is unbelievable to me. I would argue most of what we allow our government to do is unconstitutional and most things are definitely not needed. We need to undergo a great transformation in government where we massively reduce its size, scope, power, and spending.

[@kcdawg2060]

I'm waiting for Senator Kennedy to say that he's going to ask his own DOORKNOB, because it's smarter than whomever he's questioning! Lmfao 😆🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@waukonstandard]

I clicked on this because I couldn't imaging Kennedy doing this 'rapid-fire' I was right. This was just a teaser in the title.

[@HUsnagzHU]

John Kennedy is a BOSS! 😂🤣

[@mindamiller4904]

Fix now or will cost more

[@joehoncho8557]

I like this lady’s answers. Probably the most honest I have heard.

[@jjisella]

She's incompetent. So you like a potential judge that is clueless re the law?

[@joehoncho8557]

@@jjisella no. I like truthful answers and not constant bs is what you hear almost all the time in these hearings. Most of the answers are so coached and non answers.

[@joehoncho8557]

@@jjisella ease up on the hate son. It will eat you up.