Biden names Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court
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On Friday, President Joe Biden nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, kicking off a historic confirmation process for the first Black woman to sit on the nation’s highest court.
“Today, while we witness freedom and liberty under attack abroad, I’m here to fulfil my constitutional duty, to safeguard freedom and liberty here in the United States of America,” Biden said as he presented Jackson at the White House.
“For too long, our government, our courts haven’t looked like America,” Biden said. “I believe it’s time that we have a court reflects the full talents and greatness of our nation with a nominee of extraordinary qualifications, and that we inspire all young people to believe that they can one day serve their country at the highest level.”
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Senate Democratic leaders aim to have a vote on Jackson’s confirmation to the Supreme Court by mid-April.
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Jackson, 51, is a federal appellate court judge in Washington, DC, who has been regarded the front-runner for the post since Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement.
“I must begin these very brief remarks by thanking God for delivering me to this point in my professional journey. My life has been blessed beyond measure and I do know that one can only come this far by faith,” Jackson said.
“Among my many blessings, and indeed the very first, is the fact that I was born in this great country,” she added. “The United States of America is the greatest beacon of hope and democracy the world has ever known. I was also blessed from my early days to have had a supportive and loving family. My mother and father, who have been married for 54 years, are at their home in Florida right now and I know that they could not be more proud.”
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Despite its historical significance, Jackson’s selection will have little effect on the court’s ideological complexion. The court now contains six conservative justices and three liberal justices, with retiring Justice Stephen Breyer hailing from the liberal party. The court is already prepared to continue its rightward shift, with high-profile cases and opinions on abortion, gun control, and religious liberty concerns due in the coming months.
A senior administration official stated that Biden met with Jackson for her Supreme Court interview earlier this month, in a meeting that the White House managed to keep secret. According to a source familiar with the decision, Jackson received and accepted Biden’s offer in a phone conversation Thursday night, but was not present for DC Circuit Court hearings Friday morning.
Given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the White House contemplated delaying the announcement, but believed it was necessary to move forward with the second step of the confirmation process, according to the official.
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Chance to excite Democrats
Biden’s selection provides an opportunity for him to energise a Democratic base that is less enthusiastic about voting in this year’s midterm elections than it has been in previous election cycles. The choice allows Biden to fulfil one of his key campaign pledges, and he will hope that the Black people who were critical to his election victory will regard this as a return on their investment.
While Jackson was the frontrunner, the person said the President gave “significant weight” to other contenders such as Judge J. Michelle Childs and California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger.
For more than a year, the President had been acquainted with her work, reading many of her comments and other works, as well as those of other candidates.
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But Biden was also taken with her life storey, which included her journey from federal public defender to federal appellate judge – as well as her upbringing as the daughter of two public school teachers and administrators.
“Her parents grew up with segregation, but never gave up hope that their children would enjoy the true promise of America,” the President said Friday.
“Her opinions are always carefully reasoned, tethered to precedent and demonstrate respect for how the law impacts everyday people,” Biden said. “It doesn’t mean she puts her thumb on the scale of justice one way or the other. But she understands the broader impacts of her decisions, whether it’s cases addressing the rights of workers or government service. She cares about making sure that our democracy works for the American people. She listens. She looks people in the eye — lawyers, defendants victims and families — and she strives ensure that everyone understands why she made a decision, what the law is, and what it means to them. She strives to be fair, to get it right, to do justice. That’s something all of us should remember. And it’s something I’ve thought about throughout this process.”
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Nomination process
The spotlight will now shift to the Senate, where Biden’s Democratic Party has the smallest possible majority. The President will hope for bipartisan support for Jackson, but Democrats will need all of their members in Washington to assure her confirmation.
Unlike most key pieces of legislation, Democrats do not require Republican support to confirm a Supreme Court justice, and they may do so with their 50 votes and Vice President Kamala Harris breaking a tie. Jackson received the backing of three Republican senators when she was approved to the appellate bench. Harris, who the White House says took an active role in the selection process, was on the phone with senators as the news broke Friday morning.
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has stated that he intends to expedite a nominee’s confirmation, using Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s Senate processes as a model for Jackson’s confirmation pace. Sen. Dick Durbin, head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, recently told CNN that he expects a hearing within a few weeks after the pick.
The leadership’s goal is to have the nominee confirmed by the April 11 vacation. According to a source familiar with the discussions, Jackson will meet with senators for courtesy next week. It is customary for Supreme Court nominees to meet with members of both parties’ leadership, followed by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Biden first committed to nominating a Black female US Supreme Court justice when he was running for president in 2020. On a debate stage in South Carolina, Biden argued that his push to make “sure there’s a Black woman on the Supreme Court” was rooted in an effort to “get everyone represented.”
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Though there are currently no Black women serving in the United States Senate in a position to vote for the nominee, Black female House members, all Democrats, applauded Biden for “fulfilling his campaign promise.”
Congressional Black Caucus chair Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio said the nomination is “something that I will remember forever.” Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey said Jackson will “bring a new, necessary perspective” to the court and “will also be an inspiration to Black women and girls everywhere.” Rep. Frederica Wilson of Florida said she “never dreamed that, in my lifetime, I would see a Black woman nominated” to the Supreme Court.
