Supreme Court confirmation hearings typically blot out everything else going on in Washington.

This time, not so much. 

With war raging in Ukraine and President Joe Biden headed to Brussels on Wednesday for an emergency NATO summit, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's four-day hearing marathon, which starts today at 11 a.m., may well be below-the-fold news. It’s not just outside events dampening the suspense: With her confirmation all but assured and the balance of the court not in play, the likelihood of major surprises is dramatically reduced.

Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter

Raghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook.
Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.