Supreme Court Nomination: Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson being sworn in as a Justice of the Supreme Court

Let’s talk about the former judge, now justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson. 

On April 7th, 2022, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed as a justice on the Supreme Court in a 53-47 decision. She will be replacing Stephen Breyer, who announced he was retiring back in January. Biden is upholding his campaign promise, which makes her the first Black woman to sit on the supreme court. 

According to the official White House website, Judge Jackson has an impressive resume. She graduated magna cum laude (with great distinction) from Harvard University and then attended Harvard Law School. She has been a public defender and a Supreme Court clerk. She was also the Vice Chair of the U.S. Sentencing Committee and a Judge on the U.S. Supreme Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Overall, an extremely impressive resume that details how Judge Jackson has dedicated her life to justice and upholding the law.

During her confirmation hearing, Judge Jackson fielded questions about her sentencing decisions, specifically when it came to pedophiles and terrorists. Some senators considered her too lenient on these cases, despite the fact that her record disproves otherwise. One topic that remained a large part of the debate was when Judge Jackson was asked to define “woman.” Judge Jackson questioned the relevance of the topic, which seemed to be a theme throughout the entire hearing. 

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has already had an impressive career dedicated to remaining fair and impartial when it comes to the laws of this country. She has made her entire family proud by being the first Black female justice on the Supreme Court. In my previous article on the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett, I wrote about how important representation on the Supreme Court is and how diversity should be more important than the amount of justices. I hope Justice Jackson continues to serve herself and her community.