When President Joe Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill Justice Stephen Breyer’s seat on the Supreme Court, he said “she is one of our nation’s brightest legal minds and will be an exceptional Justice.” The Senate Judiciary Committee now has announced hearings for President Biden’s Supreme Court nominee will be held on March 21st.
The U.S. Senate hearings for Supreme Court nominees usually will take four days, with opening statements on the first day, testimony and questioning the next two days, and testimony from outside witnesses on the last day. If confirmed, she would become the 116th Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The Democrats have the numbers, so Judge Jackson, who currently serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, should skate through the hearings with no problem.
Judge Jackson was born in Washington, DC and grew up in Miami, Florida. Her parents attended segregated primary schools, then attended historically black colleges and universities. Both started their careers as public school teachers and became leaders and administrators in the Miami-Dade Public School System.
Judge Jackson stood out as a high achiever throughout her childhood. She was a speech and debate star who was elected “mayor” of Palmetto Junior High and student body president of Miami Palmetto Senior High School. But like many Black women, Judge Jackson still faced naysayers. When Judge Jackson 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.”
That did not stop Judge Jackson. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, then attended Harvard Law School, where she graduated cum laude and was an editor of the Harvard Law Review.
Judge Jackson lives with her husband, Patrick, and their two daughters, in Washington, DC.
Orlando Representative Val Demings supports the nomination, while Senator Marco Rubio is raising questions about President Biden and explaining his reasoning. Democrat Demings is currently running for U.S. Senate, where she may one day get to vote on nominations like this, hoping to challenge Republican Rubio in November.
“Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has a spectacular record, impeccable credentials, and her perspective as a fellow Floridian will be a breath of fresh air on the Court,” Rep. Demings said. “She is exceptionally qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. In the coming years, the Supreme Court is likely to hear cases that may determine the long-term direction of American life, and the safety and constitutional rights of every American. Judge Jackson has demonstrated throughout her career that she will be impartial, meticulous, and will put the law and Constitution first in every case.”
“President Biden wrongly believes the Supreme Court should act as a legislative branch, actively overriding the will of the people and the Congress,” Senator Rubio said. “My decision will be based on whether Judge Jackson has a demonstrated commitment to original intent, judicial restraint, and the understanding that the Supreme Court is a ‘trier of law’ appellate court and not a ‘trier of fact’ trial court. I will not support any nominee that believes it is appropriate for judges to craft new policies and create rights instead of interpreting and defending the Constitution as written.”
