By Priscilla Mensah
Ketanji Brown Jackson is poised to make history as the first African-American woman Supreme Court Justice. Should Ketanji be confirmed, she would be helping to break the glass ceiling that has long stood in the way of progress for women and people of color in the political sphere. To date, only five of the 118 justices have been women and only two of the 118 have been black – black men that is.
Adding Jackson to the mix would bring the total number of women who have served on the highest court to six, which is no simple feat. Additionally, in being nominated to the highest court of the land, and if confirmed, Jackson will be providing an alternative view of African-Americans, straying from stereotypes that often portray people of color in less than ideal lights.
Jackson becoming the first African-American woman to serve on the Supreme Court would effectively amount to another step along an already highly successful career trajectory that she has enjoyed. Raised by parents who were educated at historically black universities, Jackson excelled in academics and eventually graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School. Throughout her impressive academic and professional careers, Jackson has exemplified excellence and, speaking for myself at least, will most certainly be viewed as an inspiration to women of color to aspire to greater heights.
It is perhaps due to her solid academic foundation, combined with her exemplary career, that Jackson is viewed favorably by lawmakers on both sides of the country’s political spectrum. As a result, it has already been widely predicted that she will be approved by the Senate.
A little context on this laudable professional career that Jackson has had. For one, immediately following law school, Jackson served as a clerk to Massachusetts-based US District Judge Patti Saris. Impressively, she also managed to land the highly coveted position of associate at the law firm Miller Cassidy Larroca and Lewin.
Additionally, and noteworthy because she is set to replace him, Jackson also clerked at the Supreme Court for Justice Stephen Breyer. Jackson’s other professional accomplishments follow this theme of prestige and excellence. Most recently, for instance, she served as a judge of the D.C. Circuit, which is commonly referred to as the United States’s second-highest court of the land.
Serving on the D.C. Circuit is important because it proves, yet again, that Jackson is duly qualified for the job. The prominence and prestige of the D.C. Circuit are palpable, supported by the fact that several Supreme Court Justices, including some holding office today, have served there. In her nomination for D.C. Circuit Judge, Jackson, who was nominated by President Biden in April 2021, was confirmed in June of 2021 with bipartisan support. If this trend of broad support continues, it is likely that Jackson will be easily confirmed to the Supreme Court.
Jackson’s nomination has not been without its critics, unfortunately. As is typical in the cases of the relatively few people of color who have sought, or who have been nominated to high political positions, there have been some attempts to undermine Jackson’s legitimacy. For instance, I recall coming across an article that highlighted how some relatively prominent political figure had wanted to see Jackson’s Law School Admission Test (LSAT) score.
Not that I have been alive long enough to remember the details of too many supreme court nominations, but with the few that I do recall, I don’t ever remember an LSAT score being brought up. Such talks are reminiscent of those requesting that former President Barack Obama produce his birth certificate, which have widely been viewed as being racist in nature.
Nonetheless, and all critics aside, based on some articles and reviews that I have read, I am confident that Jackson’s preliminary bipartisan support will prove pivotal in her being confirmed by the Senate.
I’m hopeful that she will be confirmed and am already excited about what her appointment will mean for future generations. Jackson’s nomination, in and of itself, has already done so much in moving the present that much closer to realizing a vision of equality, so whatever the future holds will hopefully be just as promising.