Black Women and the Supreme Court: Ketanji Brown Jackson (Part 1)

The recent announcement of the retirement of Associate Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer from the Supreme Court has prompted speculation about possible replacements. President Biden has vowed to nominate a Black Woman to the court. This is the first installment in a multi-part series focusing on prospective nominees. This week's installment focuses on Ketanji Brown Jackson. Brown Jackson is currently a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She has held this position since June 17, 2021. Previously, she served as a Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (2013-2021). She also served as Vice Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission (20100-2014). She holds undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University.

Background

Who Is Ketanji Brown Jackson (CNN Politics-Video)

https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2022/02/03/ketanji-brown-jackson-schneider-pkg-ac360-vpx.cnn

Ketanji Brown Jackson on Judicial Impartiality and Her Experience as Public Defender (Miami Herald, 2/3/2022)

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article258025028.html

For Ketanji Brown Jackson View of Criminal Justice Was Shaped by Family. (NYT, 1/30/22)

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/30/us/politics/supreme-court-ketanji-brown-jackson.html

Federal Appeals Court

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s First Circuit Court Opinion (Reason, 2/3/2022)

https://reason.com/volokh/2022/02/03/judge-ketanji-brown-jacksons-first-circuit-court-opinion/

Senate Panel Approves Biden’s Judicial Pick Ketanji Brown Jackson to Replace Merrick Garland. (Black Enterprise, 5/20/2021)

https://www.blackenterprise.com/senate-panel-approves-biden-judicial-pick-ketanji-brown-jackson-to-replace-merrick-garland/

Circuit Pick’s Jackson’s Reversals a Likely Target for GOP (Bloomberg Law, 4/28/2021)

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/circuit-pick-jacksons-reversals-a-likely-target-for-senate-gop

Biden’s pick to serve on powerful DC based appellate says her experience as Black jurist might be useful if confirmed (CNN Politics, 4/28/2021)

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/28/politics/ketanji-brown-jackson-senate-confirmation-hearing/index.html

Supreme Court Pick

“Known Quantity:” Senate’s Familiarity with Brown Jackson May Boost Supreme Court Odds (Miami Herald, 2/4/2022)

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article258013963.html

Ketanji Jackson is a favorite for Biden’s historic Supreme Court (Los Angeles Times, 2/2/2022)

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2022-02-02/ketanji-jackson-supreme-court

Ketanji Brown Jackson: The personal and legal record of front-runner for the SCOTUS post (CNN, 2/2/2022)

https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/02/politics/ketanji-brown-jackson-profile/index.html

Profile of a Potential Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson (Scotus Blog, 2/1/2022)

https://www.scotusblog.com/2022/02/profile-of-a-potential-nominee-ketanji-brown-jackson/

The Supreme Court Needs Diversity in More Ways than One (Wall Street Journal, 1/30/2022)

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-supreme-court-needs-diversity-in-more-ways-than-one-ketanji-brown-jackson-judge-ivy-league-biden-appointee-appointment-11643566752

Controversy

Former clerk rewrites SCOTUS contenders’ bios (Politico, 2/4/2020)

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/04/former-clerk-rewrites-supreme-court-wikipedia-bios-00005914

Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Harvard Race Discrimination Problem (National Review 2/2/2022)

https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/02/ketanji-brown-jacksons-harvard-race-discrimination-problem/