Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson makes history as the first black woman to be nominated to the United States Supreme Court and if confirmed, she will be the first black woman to serve on the US Supreme Court and only the sixth woman in US history.
In February, US President Joe Biden nominated Ketanji Jackson to the Supreme Court, fulfilling a campaign promise to appoint a black woman to the court for the first time in US history.
The United States Senate was set to hold four days of hearings on Jackson's eligibility to serve on the Supreme Court from March 21 to 24. Jackson appeared in front of the US Senate Judiciary Committee. With Democrats holding a 50-50 Senate and Vice President Kamala Harris as the tie-breaker, Jackson required 51 votes to be approved.
As her historic bid to join the Supreme Court drifted from elevated constitutional considerations to attacks on her motivations on the bench, Jackson faced a flood of Republican questions concerning her sentencing of criminal defendants.
On her final day of Senate questioning, she claimed that as the Supreme Court's first black female justice, she would rule "without any agendas". She also rejected Republican attempts to depict her as a "soft on crime" judge during her decade on the bench. Legal experts from both sides will pitch in on Thursday, March 24, the concluding day of four days of hearings.
Following the conclusion of the hearings, the entire Senate is expected to vote on Jackson without delay, most likely before the April 11 break. If everything goes according to plan for Democrats, Jackson will take her position in October, when the next term begins.
According to reports, Ketanji has received support and encouragement from a number of significant members of the legal profession, including legislators, judges, female law professors, and others. She has a reputation for being fair, consistent, and deserving.
Suggested Reading: Meet Ketanji Brown Jackson, First Black Woman Judge Nominee at The US Supreme Court
Ahead of her confirmation, here are some powerful Ketanji Brown Jackson quotes :
- "In our family, we have a mantra that emphasises the prioritisation of work over play as one of our first principles."
- "I teach my children to approach the world with a grateful Spirit. We don’t look down on or talk down to others and we show respect for all mankind."
- There are also women I have never met but who are recorded in the pages of history and whose lives and struggles inspire me and thousands of other working women to keep putting one foot in front of another every day."
- "I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunities that I’ve had in life. I believe it’s my obligation to teach my children to refrain from casting expulsions on others because of their life circumstances".
- "The privilege of working with strong women role models has been essential to my career development and it’s crucial to the development and advancement of girls like my daughters who need to learn that they have opportunities."
(Feature Image Credit: Business Today)