Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is Elected First Black Woman Supreme Judge
- Wolfpak Press
- May 12, 2022
- 4 min read
By: Phoebe Hong
On April 7th, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was elected as a Supreme Court judge in a 53-47 vote. Once Judge Jackson begins her term this summer, she will be the first Black woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice in 233 years of American Supreme Court history. Nominated by President Joe Biden as an individual "committed to equal justice under the law who understands the profound impact that the Supreme court's decisions have on the lives of the American people", Judge Jackson's confirmation is historic. For the first time in American history, there will be four women on the court and two Black justices. As considered by Adam Liptak, The Time's Supreme Court reporter, "the court will look a lot more like the nation it serves". Judge Jackson's nomination also brings light to the relative rarity of Black women in the legal profession. "Only 4.7% of lawyers are Black and just 70 Black women have ever served as a federal judge, representing fewer than 2% of all such judges"(Bagby).
Judge Jackson spent seven years as a federal trial judge before being elevated to the U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Before she was a judge, she worked as a federal public defender-- she is the first Supreme Court Justice ever to have served as a public defender with experience representing criminal defendants. During her hearing, a number of Republican centers, also known as the GOP, confronted this part of Jackson's past, with dishonest scrutiny. These senators mischaracterized Jackson's work during her time as a federal public defender, bashing her sentences on certain cases that were accused of being too lenient, though later were proved to be well within the constitutional guidelines pertaining to those specific cases. In the same hearing, Democratic Senate Cory Booker of New Jersey reset the dismal tone of the proceedings by praising Judge Jackson for her character and effort that elevated her to this position. "You did not get there because of some left-wing Agenda," Booker assured, recounting how a Black woman had nearly tackled him to profess how moved she was to see Jackson sitting in the witness chair. "You didn't get here because of some 'dark money' groups. You got here how every Black woman in America who's gotten anywhere has done. By being, like Ginger Rogers said, 'I did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards, in heels" (Tensley). Booker urged Judge Jackson to refuse to allow anyone steal her joy or pride. This heartwarming encouragement moved Judge Jackson to tears, finally repositioning the hearing to a positive acknowledgement of Judge Jackson's accomplishments and strengths.
SO, what exactly does Judge Jackson's confirmation mean for the country? Hear how Judge Jackson has impacted the minority community of America, especially the underrepresented Black community.
Sixteen year old Samiya A. Williams, an African-American teenage social justice activist who attended a Black Woman-led rally in support of Judge Jackson's confirmation hearings, addressed her gratitude towards Judge Jackson's symbol of black representation.
“I appreciate that you have a name that people must take their time to pronounce. I appreciate the tight coils in your locs that rhyme with mine, in my braids. I am fueled knowing that the journey it took to get to this place has many similarities to the one I am on right now as a 16-year-old,”
Brianna Banks:
“By the numbers, we have a lot of Supreme Court justices from Harvard Law School,” she said. “And I am one of the few students that I knew that could never be me, no matter what, because there had never been one that looked like me before. So it brought up this emotion because people tell you, you come from Harvard Law School, you can do whatever you want, there’s no job that isn’t open to you. But for Black women, that’s not always true, because there are a lot of spaces or jobs that we still have not occupied. Now, she added, “the sky is the limit.”
Virginia Thomas is a social justice activist who helped pass guidelines in New York banning hair discrimination in professional settings.
She saw Jackson "with sisterlocks, standing up there in her glory and her professionalism. It's an opportunity for people to really visualize and see Black women doing what they do, which is being unapologetically successful, unapologetically confident in who they are".
Ebony Cormier - part time law student at the Southern University Law Center
“This moment is important because you cannot be what you do not see. It is a visual representation not only for other Black women and girls but for the world to continue to see Black women ascend to heights where we have traditionally been omitted. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson represents the promises of this country to its citizens, as well as the promise of my parents that I can be whatever it is I choose to be.”
Stacy Hawkins-Vice Dean and professor of law at Rutgers Law School in Camden, New Jersey
“After witnessing the election of the first Black president and then the first Black and first female vice president, it is truly extraordinary as a Black woman to now bear witness to the first Black woman being confirmed to the US Supreme Court. These things seemed almost inconceivable in my youth, and now they are a reality. Judge Jackson’s confirmation to the Supreme Court silences all of the critics who said that no Black woman was worthy of this honor. It affirms to Black women and Black girls everywhere that we can go as far as our talents will take us. But perhaps most important, it signals to the American people how important it is for judges to reflect the rich diversity of our nation in all its dimensions.”
Ninna Simmons
Senior counsel at the New York law firm of Washton & Gitto, specializing in financial products. She met Jackson in college,at Harvard University, where they were roommates for three years. They then went to Harvard Law School together.
“Judge Jackson’s confirmation to the US Supreme Court is an amazing moment in history. To the Black community, she represents what can be achieved through hard work and perseverance. I have received so many notes from parents telling me how their children have been inspired by seeing someone who looks like them succeed at the highest levels. To me, this is a surreal moment. We all knew that this was Ketanji’s destiny. She was born for this. She has spent her life preparing for this very moment, and she is ready!”
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