The judicial nominee set to replace now Justice Amy Coney Barrett on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on Wednesday wrestled with questions on how he would square his commitment to judicial interpretation with the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education.

Thomas Kirsch, currently serving as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana and a former partner with Winston & Strawn’s Chicago office, faced less opposition from Democrats than the judge whose seat he will fill during her own proceedings just weeks ago. But he did face scrutiny from Democratic members of the Senate.