NAADPC celebrates the confirmation of Judge Jackson by the House of Representatives on April 7th 2022 to become the first Black female Justice to the US Supreme Court.
Bio and Experience
- She is one of the brightest legal minds in the country with a well-rounded set of experiences in the legal system and judiciary that will make her an exceptional Justice.
- Former Speaker Paul Ryan praised her when she was nominated for District Court in 2012. “Our politics may differ, but my praise for Ketanji’s intellect, for her character, for her integrity is unequivocal,” he said. “She’s an amazing person, and I favorably recommend her consideration.”
- Judge Jackson has deep experience across the justice system, which will make her a well-rounded Justice. She comes from a family of police officers, worked as a public defender, served on the bipartisan US Sentencing Commission, and served as a judge on the District Court and D.C. Circuit Court of Appeal.
- Her nomination is fitting since she clerked for Justice Breyer. Through her clerkship, she learned the great rigor through which Justice Breyer approached the work and his willingness to work with colleagues of different viewpoints. She will bring that experience and the same approach to bear on the Supreme Court.
- Judge Brown Jackson studied government at Harvard University and attended Harvard Law School, where she was supervising editor of the Harvard Law Review.
- Not only has she make history as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, but she will also be the first public defender to serve on the Court.
- Judge Jackson has a long and personal history working as a public defender. While at Harvard, a relative was sentenced to life in prison for a nonviolent drug offense. She helped convince a law firm to take his case pro bono, eventually leading President Obama to commute his sentence.
- Judge Brown Jackson has been confirmed by the Senate on 3 different occasions:
- In 2009, President Obama nominated Jackson to be Vice Chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission. She was later confirmed by unanimous consent in February 2010.
- In September 2012, President Obama nominated Jackson for a vacancy in the U.S. District Court for D.C. She was confirmed by voice vote in March of 2013.
- In April 2021, President Biden nominated Judge Jackson to the seat vacated by Attorney General Merrick Garland in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, often regarded as a training ground for the highest court in the land.
- In June of 2021, Jackson was confirmed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, with a 53-44 vote in the Senate, gaining the support of Senators Susan Collins, Lindsey Graham, and Lisa Murkowski.
- President Obama called her an “unwavering voice for justice and fairness” when he nominated her to the U.S. Sentencing Commission.
- Judge Jackson’s family exemplifies a true American success story thanks to hard work and determination. Her parents went to segregated schools and experienced the Jim Crow South as kids, but through hard work, they went to and graduated from college and became public school teachers.
- The mission of the NAADPC to address the unequal justice and bias in multiple facets of our judicial system with respect to substance use disorder litigation will get a boost of fairness on issues that work their way to the Supreme Court during her tenure.
