Update—April 7, 2022: On April 7, the U.S. Senate voted 53 to 47 in favor of confirming Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, making her the first Black woman justice in the court’s history.
Original story—Feb. 25, 2022: It seems President Joe Biden will follow through on his campaign promise of nominating a Black woman to become a Supreme Court justice: The New York Times reports that he has chosen Ketanji Brown Jackson, 51, as his pick. After Senate approval, Brown Jackson would become the first Black woman to serve as a Supreme Court justice in the court’s 232-year history.
“Judge Jackson is an exceptionally qualified nominee as well as an historic nominee, and the Senate should move forward with a fair and timely hearing and confirmation,” the White House said in a statement released on February 25, per Reuters. The statement also described Jackson as someone with “exceptional credentials, unimpeachable character, and unwavering dedication to the rule of law,” adding that she “understands the profound impact that the Supreme Court’s decisions have on the lives of the American people.”
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The nomination for Jackson comes after Justice Stephen Breyer, 83, announced his retirement in late January 2022, after 27 years on the court. Both Justice Breyer and Brown Jackson align politically as progressives, which would keep the court’s leanings still on the conservative end. Ahead of her history-making nomination, learn more about Brown Jackson.
Brown Jackson was born in Washington, D.C., before moving to Miami as a child with her school-board-attorney father and principal mother, who both worked in the Miami-Dade school system. She attended Harvard University for both college and law school, where she was a supervising editor of the Harvard Law Review.
Currently, she serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, a position that President Biden appointed her to and one that Associate Justices Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh, along with Chief Justice John Roberts, previously served. She succeeded Attorney General Merrick Garland, who was nominated for Supreme Court Justice by President Barack Obama but not confirmed. Brown Jackson has worked in the legal system since the start of her career, serving as a law clerk for several judges, including Justice Stephen Breyer, before becoming a federal judge in 2013.
This is not the first time Brown Jackson has been rumored to be vetted for the Supreme Court seat. In 2016, President Obama was said to have had her on his shortlist before he ultimately chose Garland.
At the formal White House event following the initial announcement, Biden alluded to increasing diversity on the bench. “For too long our government, our courts, haven’t looked like America,” the president said, per NBC News. “I believe it’s time that we have a court that reflects the full talents and greatness of our nation.”
Along with thanking the Biden administration and her family, Jackson took a moment to share one of her hopes for her appointment. “I can only hope that my life and career, my love of this country and the Constitution, and my commitment to upholding the rule of law and the sacred principles upon which this great nation was founded, will inspire future generations of Americans,” she said.
With the attention of the Biden administration focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the appointment process is expected to take several additional weeks—which differs from the quick, four-week turnaround during the appointment of Justice Amy Coney Barrett by former president Donald Trump.
Still, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, who chairs the Judiciary Committee dedicated to the confirmation hearing promised to move forward with the process “immediately,” per Reuters.
Currently, the U.S. Senate is split 50-50, with an extra Democratic-leaning vote thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris’s role as tiebreaker.
With her confirmation, Brown Jackson would make it the first time ever that four woman have sat on the court at the same time—the other three female justices include Justice Barrett, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Associate Justice Elena Kagan (both appointed by President Obama). Additionally, she will be the third Black justice in history, adding to Associate Justice Clarence Thomas and former Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall.
According to the Associated Press, Brown Jackson has garnered GOP support in the past, having been confirmed for the Court of Appeals by South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham, Maine’s Susan Collins, and Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski. Additionally, through marriage, Brown Jackson is related to the former speaker of the House Paul Ryan.
Brown Jackson will enter the conservative-leaning Supreme Court as President Biden’s first nomination in his term, joining a predominately white and male court.
We’ll update this post as more information becomes available.
