Ketanji Jackson Aims for The Stars, Lands on Top Court – Historic and Inspirational

In the 233-year history of the United States Supreme Court, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is the first black woman to be appointed to the bench.

The United States Senate, in a historic bipartisan vote, confirmed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to serve on the nation’s highest court. Justice Jackson is the first Black woman to sit on the bench of the Supreme Court.

Of 115 people who have served on the Supreme Court since its birth in 1789, except for three, all have been white. Clarence Thomas, who was appointed in 1991 and is still serving, and Thurgood Marshall, who retired in 1991, are the only two Black justices to serve.

At a White House luncheon on Friday to commemorate her confirmation, Judge Jackson stated, “I am feeling up to the task, primarily because I know that I am not alone. I am standing on the shoulders of my own role models, generations of Americans who never had anything close to this kind of opportunity but who got up every day and went to work believing in the promise of America.”

She was joined by U.S. President Joe Biden, who nominated her to the court, and Vice-President Kamala Harris, who made history as the first black woman and the first Asian woman to become Vice-President.

The Vote

The landmark vote of 53-47 is a sweet victory for the country, notably President Joe Biden, who made good on his campaign promise to bring a broader range of backgrounds into the federal judiciary.

“Judge Jackson’s confirmation was a historic moment for our nation. We’ve taken another step toward making our highest court reflect the diversity of America. She will be an incredible Justice, and I was honored to share this moment with her,” Biden wrote on Twitter.

About Ketanji Brown Jackson

After being born in Washington, DC, Judge Jackson was raised in Miami, Florida, by her parents, both public school teachers and leaders in the Miami-Dade Public School System.

A talented and hardworking speech and debate star, Jackson was elected as the Miami Palmetto Senior High School student body president and was previously voted “mayor” of Palmetto Junior High School. 

She then attended Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude, then attended Harvard Law School, where she graduated cum laude and was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. Since 2016, Jackson has served on the Harvard Board of Overseers. 

• In 2009, President Obama nominated Judge Jackson to serve as the Vice-Chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission from 2010 to 2014.
• In 2012, President Barack Obama nominated Judge Jackson to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. She was confirmed with bipartisan support in 2013. 
• In 2021 Judge Jackson became one of President Biden’s first judicial nominees when she was elevated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
• Before serving as a judge, she began her legal career with three clerk internships, one with Justice Stephen G. Breyer, whom she will succeed when he retires in late June, the end of the current court’s session. 
• Her work on the bipartisan U.S. Sentencing Commission focused on reducing unwarranted sentencing disparities and ensuring that federal sentences were just and proportionate.
• She is the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court who previously worked as a federal public defender. 

The New Appearance of the Supreme Court

As the highest court in the land, it is the court of last resort for those looking for their fair shake. 

Its judicial review power ensures that each branch of government understands the boundaries of its authority. And lastly, 

The justices’ decisions impact every American on policy issues such as abortion, guns, voting rules, LGBT rights, religious liberty, the death penalty, and racial discrimination.

Jackson will take the bench in October when the court returns from summer recess. At that moment, she will become the sixth woman to serve on the Supreme Court. 

For the first time, four women will serve simultaneously. Jackson will join current Justices Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic to serve, Amy Coney Barrett, and Elena Kagan. 

Retired Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died in 2020, are the other two female justices to have served on the court.

Judge Jackson’s Life Lesson

Like many Black women, Jackson faced naysayers. When she told her high school guidance counselor she wanted to attend Harvard; the guidance counselor warned that Judge Jackson should not set her “sights so high.” 

During her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, Jackson mentioned the life lessons she discovered via her parents. “My parents taught me that, unlike the many barriers that they had had to face growing up, my path was clearer, such that if I worked hard and believed in myself, in America, I could do anything or be anything I wanted to be,” she said. 

Judge Jackson resides in Washington, DC, with her husband, Patrick, and their two daughters.