WASHINGTON Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson weathered a grueling day of questions during her Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday, for the first time facing hours of grilling from the nearly two dozen senators on the Judiciary Committee .

Jackson projected a measured, thoughtful demeanor throughout the all-day hearing, even as Republicans, at times, grasped at straws as they tried to find a line of attack that would stick. Although there were a few tense moments, day two of the hearing was mostly boring and without surprises.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a potential 2024 presidential contender, repeatedly pressed Jackson on her views on racism , childrens books and the academic discipline known as critical race theory . He specifically asked if she agrees with a childrens book called Anti-Racist Baby, by Ibrim X. Kendi, which is in the library at a private school in Washington, D.C., at which Jackson was a board member.

This book is one of the most stunning taught at Georgetown Day School, he said, holding up a copy of the book. He says it teaches children that babies are taught to be racist, not born racist, and that they are encouraged to admit if they have been racist and to talk about it.

Do you agree that babies are racist? Cruz asked.

After a long pause, Jackson said she didnt know of the book and, separately, added that critical race theory is an academic theory taught in law schools, not in elementary schools like Georgetown Day.

Cruz angrily continued to claim that the private school is teaching 4-year-olds about critical race theory an academic theory taught in graduate school about the ways in which race interacts with various social institutions and asking Jackson how she was OK with this.

Jackson said again that she hadnt reviewed any of the childrens books he was talking about and that the subject of critical race theory does not come up in her work as a judge. She also, subtly, took a jab at Cruz, saying she was under the impression that his concerns about critical race theory were related to what was being taught in public schools.

Georgetown Day School, just like the religious school that Justice [Amy Coney] Barrett was on the board of, is a private school, Jackson said.

Cruz moved on to talking about child porn and sex offenders until his time was up.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) seemed scattered with his questions. He complained about how conservative Supreme Court nominees had been treated in their confirmation hearings and about the Supreme Court nominee he wished that Biden had picked instead of Jackson. He fumed about progressive groups supporting Jackson. He asked Jackson if she thought 9/11 was an act of war (yes) and about her personal feelings on a legal argument she once made in a case involving Guantanamo Bay detainees.

None of this had much to do with Jacksons actual record or her role as a potential justice.

At one point, Graham appeared to invoke questions Democratic senators had asked Amy Coney Barrett about her faith.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how faithful would you say you are? Graham asked mockingly, after asking what her faith was and how important it was to her. Do you attend church regularly?

Jackson said that, although faith played a big role in her life (she said she is Protestant, non-denominational), she was reluctant to talk about it in detail because I want the public to have confidence in my ability to separate out my personal views. Graham said he agreed that judges could separate their religious beliefs with the way they rule.