Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson Nominated to Supreme Court
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President Joe Biden has nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court of the United States. Judge Jackson is the first Black woman to be nominated to the Court, and would once again make history if she is confirmed and would succeed Justice Stephen Breyer, who spent 27 years serving on the Court and is set to retire at the end of term.
Who is Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson?
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D.C. born, Ketanji Brown Jackson grew up in Miami, Florida to preschool teacher parents. Both her parents attended segregated schools and later attended historically black colleges and universities. During her pre-school years, her father attended law school, and they opted to often complete their homework together— going over law school readings and filling in the lines of a coloring book. Jackson was often seen in leadership positions throughout her young academic life, such as student body president and part of her high school debate team. Ketanji Brown Jakcson went on to study and graduate from Harvard for both her undergraduate studies and her J.D. with honors. Her legal experience ranges from being a public defender, a Supreme Court clerk to soon to be Justice Stephen G. Breyer, Vice Chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit before her nomination to the Supreme Court.
What does Judge Jackson’s potential confirmation as Justice mean for SCOTUS?
If confirmed, Judge Jackson would become the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court bench. The Supreme Court currently seats nine (9) members, and holds a 6-3 conservative majority. As Judge Jackson’s confirmation hearings continue to be underway, discussions about her impact on the Court have started to roll out. Opinions range from believing that Jackson’s confirmation will do nothing to reshape the Court and is simply trading a “liberal for a liberal”, stating that her joining the Court won’t amount to much. Other opinions focus on celebrating her influence as the first Black woman to sit on the bench and how she could make a difference. Though her potential confirmation will not change the dominant political ideology of the Court, her confirmation would mean that all three Democratic justices are women. Justice Jackson would sit alongside Justice Sotomayor; the first woman of color, Hispanic, and Latina member of the Court; and Elena Kagan, the first woman to serve as solicitor general of the United States before joining the Court.
Who are the current justices of the Supreme Court?
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As of October 2020, there are nine justices sitting on the Supreme Court bench. Out of the nine, eight of them serve as associate justices. The associate justices include: Clarence Thomas (confirmed 1991), Stephen G. Breyer (confirmed 1994), Samuel A. Alito, Jr. (confirmed 2006), Sonia Sotomayor (confirmed 2009), Elena Kagan (confirmed 2010), Neil M. Gorsuch (confirmed 2017), Brett M. Kavanaugh (confirmed 2018) and Amy Coney Barrett (confirmed 2020) These eight members of the Court vote on cases brought to them, draft opinions, circuit oversight, among other duties. The remaining justice serves as Chief Justice. Their duties include presiding over the hearings, writing the majority opinion(s) when in the majority, presiding over presidential impeachment hearings, among other duties. As of 2005, John G. Roberts has been serving as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
How does a nominee get confirmed to the Supreme Court?
As stated in the Constitution, the President of the United States is responsible for nominating an individual for the position of Supreme Court justice. In order for the nominees to be confirmed, they will undergo a series of hearings directed by the Senate Judiciary Committee. These hearings usually last a month. In these hearings, witnesses, both supporting and opposing the nomination, present their views. Senators in the committee question the nominee on topics relevant to their background such as their philosophy, qualifications, etc. Following the conclusion of the hearings, the Senate Judiciary Committee votes on the nomination and decides whether the nominee should be confirmed, rejected, or no recommendation and the full Senate debates the results. In order to be confirmed, 51 votes from the Senate are required. If there is a tie, the Vice President, who is the President of the Senate, will cast the deciding vote.
The process for Supreme Court nominees to enter the highest judicial power in the country is rigourous and challenging. However, it ensures that whoever is confirmed will uphold the laws as they are written and without comprises. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is a highly qualified candidate that is receiving an an influx of bipartisan support. If appointed and confirmed, she would make a valuable asset to the the highest Court in the land.
