US president Joe Bidden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, last week.
Introducing Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, Biden in his speech said that the reason was to nominate someone who was worthy of filling up the void upon the retirement of Justice Stephan Breyer’s legacy.
If the nomination gets confirmed, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson would be the first woman of Colour to make it to the Supreme Court Bench in the US.
Biden said that “Courts in America haven't looked like America for far too long, he said it's time to have a Court that reflects the greatness of United States again”.
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is a Harvard Law School graduate and also a Harvard undergraduate. While in Harvard Law School, Judge Brown was the editor of the prestigious Law Review. Ironically, after graduating, Judge Jackson was selected for the United States Supreme Court Clerkship by retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, whose seat she is nominated to fill.
President Joe Biden said “Not only did Judge Jackson learn about being a judge from Justice Breyer himself, but she also imbibed his willingness to work with colleagues holding different viewpoints, and now, years later, she steps up to fill Justice Breyer's place on the Court”.
Judge Jackson belongs from a family of law enforcement and has previously worked for both public and private undertakings. She has worked as a federal state prosecutor as well as a private practitioner. Upon her confirmation, she will join Justice Sotomayor as the only members of the United States Supreme Court having experience as a trial court judge.
“Also, like Justice Breyer, she would be the only member of the Court who has previously served as a member of the United States Sentencing Commission”, said Bidden in his speech.
The President noted that “Judge Jackson has already been confirmed by the United States Senate in three occasions. She was selected to serve on the United States Sentencing Commission to promote transparency and fairness in the criminal justice system. Thereafter, in 2013 she was confirmed by the Senate as the United States District Judge for the District of Columbia. In June 2021, she received her commission as a United States Circuit Judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the second most powerful court behind the Supreme Court. The President, endorsing his nominee, said that the Court is equally as important as the presidency or the Congress and that he is pleased to nominate Judge Jackson, who he thinks will bring deep experience, intellect and a rigorous judicial record to the Court”.
