Ted Cruz photographed checking Twitter mentions after Supreme Court hearing tirade

Senator Ted Cruz was caught checking his phone for Twitter mentions by a photo journalist after a confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson on Wednesday.

The Texas Republican was accused by social media users of a “performative tantrum” at the hearing after he ignored repeated requests from senator Dick Durbin, the chair of Senate Judiciary Committee, to stop speaking after his allotted time.

Mr Cruz had quizzed the federal judge about her views on issues of race and crime and why she handed down lighter sentences in cases he displayed on a chart. He was in the middle of asking more questions when Mr Durbin interjected, saying the senator’s 20-minute time had expired.