this is "nightline." >> tonight, history on the horizon. judge ketanji brown jackson doing what no black woman has done before. >> i stand on the shoulders of so many who have come before me. >> her historic nomination to the u.s. supreme court. it's never happened before. some republicans previewing their line of attack. >> i can only wonder what what's your hidden agenda. >> her impact already felt. >> eventually, she is going to have my back, so i need to have hers. plus, kim and kanye, once seemed bound for success. ♪ i know i got a bad reputation, walk around always mad reputation ♪ >> now after an ugly and public

divorce, the rapper's troubling behavior on social media, and the distress kim says it's causing. >> we should have empathy for anyone who is suffering from any mental health disease. but it does not excuse him from talking about violence. >> why he has just been barred from performing at the grammys. >> "nightline" will be right back.

good evening. thank you for joining us. today marked the start of an historic day on capitol hill. judge ketanji brown jackson appeared before the senate for her first day of supreme court confirmation hearing. it was a civil start to a process that's historically been deeply divided. here is abc's congressional correspondent, rachel scott. >> do you affirm the testimony you're about to give before the committee will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god? >> i do. >> history made today for the first time in 233 years. judge ketanji brown jackson became the first black woman to sit for confirmation hear forbes a seat on the supreme court. >> if i am confirmed, i commit to you that i will work productively to support and defend the constitution and this grand experiment of american democracy that has endured over

these past 246 years. >> reporter: of the 115 supreme court justices, 108 have been white men. only five women have ever served, and only two of those justices have been black. judge jackson is a former clerk of the justice she would replace, stephen breyer, and rose to a seat on the u.s. court of appeals in d.c., the nation's second most powerful court. >> today america is witnessing the literal ■bending ofthe arc and the conducting of one of the most sacred ideals of this country, justice for all. >> you are showing so many little girls and little boys across the country that anything and everything is possible. >> reporter: today marking the fourth time she has come before the senate, having been confirmed three previous times with republican support, most recently last year. with judge jackson today her husband patrick, a cancer surgeon, and their two daughters, talia and laila, ages

21 and 17. if confirmed, she would be the second working mother serving on the court. >> girls, i know it has not been easy, as i have tried to navigate the challenges of juggling my career and motherhood. and i fully admit that i did not always get the balance right. but i hope that you've seen that with hard work, determination, and love, it can be done. >> i think there is going to be a hopefulness, you know, about her leadership, because she is going to look at her children, her daughters every day and think how can i make the world better for them. >> reporter: speaking in support of judge jackson, federal judge of the d.c. court of appeals appointed by a republican president. >> judge jackson is an independent jurist who adjudicates based on the facts and the law and not as a partisan. time and again she has demonstrated that impartiality on the bench. >> reporter: and her harvard roommate and current university

of pennsylvania law professor lisa fairfax. >> she is the one who became the rock for us all. even though we are the same age, she is the role model who makes you believe in what she said. >> during this hearing, i hope that you will see how much i love our country and the constitution and the rights that make us free. i stand on the shoulders of so many who have come before me, including judge constance baker motley. >> reporter: judge jackson has often invoked judge constance baker moxley, the first black woman appointed as a federal judge in 1966 and with whom jackson shares a birthday. the 51-year-old judge jackson has almost a decade of experience on the federal bench. >> judge jackson has much more experience than now justice barrett did, and also more experience than justices gorsuch and cavanaugh, if you include all of judge jackson's

experience both in the private sector and in government and on the bench. >> reporter: despite her elite legal pedigree, jackson comes from a modest background. she was born in 1970 in washington, d.c., but raised in miami where she attended public schools. her father, a teacher and later county board attorney. her mother was a public high school principal. >> my father in particular bears responsibility for my interest in the law. my very earliest memories are of watching my father study. he had his stack of law books on the kitchen table while i sat across from him with hi stack of coloring books. >> reporter: jackson, like eight current justices, has an ivy league education, graduating in the top of her class at harvard and serving in the harvard law review. >> justice breyer, the members of the senate will decide if i fill your seat, but please know that i could never fill your shoes. >> reporter: she would bring fresh experience to the high

court bench, having worked for three years as a federal public defender, something no justice has ever done before. >> the constitution guarantees that defendants will have fair and competent representation. and the fact that she's been in that role i think makes her a lot more well rounded than maybe the justices that we've seen before. >> reporter: her legal decisions have been measured. only 12 of her 600 opinions on the district court reversed on appeal. today's hearing is a departure from the past two supreme court confirmations. sexual assault allegations clouding now justice brett kavanaugh's confirmation in 2018, which he denied. and now justice amy coney barrett seemingly anti-abortion views under attack by democrats in 2020. republicans reframing the conversation. >> it is only one side of the aisle that with justice clarence thomas was so reprehensible.

this will not be a political circus. this will not be the kind of character smear that sadly our democratic colleagues have gotten very good at. >> the republicans have a very deep sense of woundedness around supreme court nominations going all the way to the nomination of judge robert bork back in 1987. one of the lions of the conservative movement way back then whose supreme court nomination was defeated. republicans in some ways have never forgiven democrats for that. >> i'm admiring how you're sitting so stoically through all of this senator talk. >> reporter: this time around it is republican senator josh hawley, questioning part of brown's sentencing record. last week hawley published a lengthy thread on twitter, writing in part "i've noticed an alarming pattern when it comes to judge jackson's treatment of sex offenders, especially those preying on children." saying that she imposed lighter sentences than what federal guidelines suggested. >> i will note that some have

said that the federal sentencing guidelines are too harsh on child sex crimes, especially cild pornography. i'll just be honest. i can't say i agree with that. >> senator hawley as essentially launched an attack on judge jackson, suggesting that she has been soft on child pornographer offenders. and close to 2/3 child pornography offenses end up resulting in sentences that are below the guidelines range. so what judge jackson did in these cases was very much within the mainstream of federal district court judges. but of course senator hawley in this accusation sort of did not provide any of that context. so i think gave a quite misleading impression of the kind of work judge jackson was doing when handing down these sentences. >> i'm not interested in trapping judge jackson. i'm not interested in trying to play gotcha. i'm interested in her answers. >> reporter: despite the senator's concerns, it did not appear to be an issue when he voted to confirm at least three federal judges who also engaged inthe same practice. >> comment on how you you've

imposed lighter sentences for child porn defenders? >> not for this job i haven't. not for this job. >> reporter: there have been questions about her qualifications. fox news' tucker carlson asking her to release the score for lsat, or her law school admission tests. that would settle the question conclusionively whether she is a once in a generation legal talent. it would seem like americans in a democracy have a right to know that and much more before giving her a lifetime appointment, but we didn't hear that. >> you don't ask her lsat score. you don't even question whether she is qualified when her qualifications are clear as day. it is racism. it is dog whistle. >> reporter: a monmouth poll shows 55% of americans support her nomination, compared with just 21% against. two days of questioning start tomorrow. the confirmation vote is expected by easter. democrats do not need any republican support to confirm jackson. >> it looks to me as if it's going to be very difficult for

republicans to score points on a person who has served the country in this capacity for so long already. >> reporter: as judge jackson faces scrutiny over the coming days, a group of black law students from louisiana came to d.c. to show their support and witness history. do you feel like she's paving the way for each you have to succeed in your careers? >> eventually, she is going to have my back so, i need to have hers. so that's why i'm here today. >> our thanks to rachel. up next, kanye's troubling behavior heating up social media. what some are calling for. looking to get back in your type 2 diabetes zone? once-weekly ozempic® can help. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ ♪ oh, oh, oh ♪ ozempic® is proven to lower a1c. most people who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. and you may lose weight. adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. in adults also with known heart disease, ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events

such as heart attack, stroke, or death. ozempic® helped me get back in my type 2 diabetes zone. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. looking to get back in your type 2 diabetes zone? ask your health care provider today about once-weekly ozempic®. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ you may pay as little as $25 for a 3-month prescription. i assumed dust always stayed put. turns out? it can be on the move. we were breathing that day and night! that's when we started using swiffer.

in just a few minutes, duster captures dust before it gets airborne. it traps and locks dust in one swipe. yes! for our floors, sweeper's heavy duty cloths easily trap dust, dirt and hair... locking it in. see ya, dust! and swiffer partners with the american lung association to support clean air. hello, how can i? sore throat pain? ♪honey lemon♪ try vicks vapocool drops in honey lemon chill for fast acting sore throat relief ♪ahhh!♪ wooo! vaporize sore throat pain with

kanye west, or ye as he is called now, has been lighting up social media. his rants about his ex, kim kardashian, doing more than raising eyebrows. here is abc's kaylee hartung. >> reporter: they were once one of the most influential celebrity couples in the world. him an award winning rapper. ♪ one man to have all that power ♪ >> and powerful lyrical genius. ♪ stop chipping, chipping off the power ♪ >> her a business mogul and reality tv star from "keeping up with the kardashians." >> all right, i got this hand. >> reporter: but as their relationship and marriage disintegrated under the spotlight, the public scrutiny soon turned to the artist now known as ye whose social media attacks against his ex-wife are prompting a media backlash. several coming to the defense of

kim, most recently the host of the daily show and host of the grammys trevor noah. >> you may not be sorry for kim, but what she is going through is terrifying to watch, and it shines a spotlight on what so many women good through when they choose to leave. >> what we're seeing with kim kardashian and kanye west is not a celebrity gossip entertainment story. this is one reality show that we must pay attention to. >> reporter: the consequences for ye have been swift. just last week, ye reacting to noah's comment, calling him a racial slur. his instagram account then temporarily suspended for violating the platform's policies on hate speech, bullying and harassment. and over the weekend, ye barred from performing at the grammys over what they say is concerning online behavior. among his five nominations this year, his album "donda" a tribute to his late mother, including hits like "24," up for album of the year. >> it's a huge deal for kanye west to be banned from

performing at the grammys. i don't know that the grammys have ever banned an artist from performing before. i know this has to really sting and has to really hurt for him. >> reporter: over the last few weeks, ye's social media have been a series of attacks, many lashing out at kim and her boyfriend, "saturday night live" pstar pete davidson. some attributing it to a struggle with mental health, something ye has been open about, telling jimmy kimmel he wants to have more open conversations about mental health wihout fear of judgment. >> i think it's important for us to have conversations about, you know, open conversations about mental health, especially with me being black. because we never had therapists in the black community. there are some cases of bipolar where people go low. i'm one that goes high, like michelle obama said. . there are millions of people who are suffering from mental health illnesses, including bipolar disease that are functioning normally every single day. kanye can certainly have bipolar

disease, but it does not excuse him from talking about violence and from other bad behavior that he is exhibiting. >> reporter: ye has also implied in now deleted instagram posts and videos that kim is keeping his children from him. >>i'm just wishing my daughter a public happy birthday. i wasn't allowed to know where her party was. >> we all have triggers. and for people who have admittedly said that they are suffering from a mental health disease, they have triggers that we don't know. and so this could also be bringing back memories of when his parents divorced. >> reporter: this fear over losing his children, a common theme in his latest song kietit clothe security". >> never stand between a man and his kids". >> we need to think of these children as being victims right now. we should have empathy for anyone who is suffering from any mental health disease. we can have empathy for him certainly, but we also want him to have empathy for his own children and what they may be going through.

>> kim responding to the rants on her instagram story saying "divorce is difficult enough on our children, and kanye's obsession with trying to control and manipulate our situation so negatively and publicly is only causing further pain for all." >> he is weaponizing social media. he is doing the typical garbo tactic which is deny, attack and then reverse the victim and offender where he is trying to say he is actually the victim and she is the perpetrator. >> reporter: just three weeks ago, within hours of their divorce being finalized, ye releasing this music video for his new track "easy". ♪ we having the best divorce ever. if we go to court, we go to court together ♪ >> a davidson look-alike being kidnapped and decapitated. >> we are listening to the words, and there are people that don't understand he is expressing a single situation that is about him. and they should not transfer

over what he's experiencing into their own lives. >> reporter: last week on the ellen show, kim addressing her struggles with ye's outbursts. >> i just try to, as hard as it can be sometimes, try to ignore it and try to do whatever is best for the kids. >> that's what i love about you. >> take the high road. >> yeah. >> a decorated artist, he has won 22 grammys. ♪ i ain't saying ♪ >> reporter: including best solo rap performance for his hit "gold digger". >> he made a colossal impact. he was guy who was rapping about things kind of the boy next door that i grew up to would rap about. kanye west has always been very unpredictable. >> what is the biggest amount i can give. >> reporter: in 2005, four days after hurricane katrina hit new orleans, he shocked the audience of a fundraiser on live tv. >> george bush doesn't care about black people. >> reporter: in 2009, he infamously hijacked the mic from taylor swift as she was delivering her acceptance speech for best video at mtv's video

music awards. >> i'm really happy for you. i'm going to let you finish. but beyonce have one of the best videos of all time. >> reporter: he even ran as an independent in the 2020 presidential election. >> and i approve this message. >> reporter: however, these recent posts some say are unlike anything he has done before, and while trevor noah has criticized ye, the grammy's host is now questioning the show's decision to block the star from performing, saying he would rather see qye being counselled, not canceled. >> a lot of people still feel, and i'm one of them that k kanye is a musical genius. but it's also hard to celebrate someone who is causing harm in another space. and that's the conflict that i think a lot of people are finding themselves in. >> our thanks to kayleie. up next, a chance for ukrainian children to forget the war and lift their voices. ♪ stand up, stand up for children ♪ really good stuff. ach for the

zzzquil ultra helps you sleep better and longer when you need it most. its non-habit forming and powered by the makers of nyquil. whoever you are. you have a style. and we want to help you own it. with top brands. great value. and inspiration you need. so you can own your style. is now a good time for a flare-up? enough, crohn's! for adults with moderate to severe crohn's or ulcerative colitis, stelara® can provide relief, and is the first approved medication to reduce inflammation on and below the surface of the intestine in uc. you, getting on that flight? back off, uc! stelara® may increase your risk of infections, some serious, and cancer. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms, sores, new skin growths, have had cancer, or if you need a vaccine. pres, a rare, potentially fatal brain condition,

may be possible. some serious allergic reactions and lung inflammation can occur. lasting remission can start with stelara®. janssen can help you explore cost support options. nope - c'mon him? - i like him! janssen can help you explore nooooo... nooooo... quick, the quicker picker upper! bounty picks up messes quicker and is 2x more absorbent, so you can use less. bounty, the quicker picker upper.

and finally tonight, they're far from home. the trauma of war is still fresh, yet these children are

finding respite in music. ♪ for humanity ♪ >> organizers are hoping this original song "from the heart" will go viral. about 80 ukrainian refugee children playing and singing as kids, for one brief moment forgetting what brought them to a foreign country and uniting. one of the moms saying of her 6-year-old, sees the sparkle in his eyes and the smile on his face. more than 1.5 million children have become refugees since the beginning of this war. it was bono who said "music can change the world because it can change people." that's "nightline" for this evening. thanks for the company, a