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Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson: It’s About Damn Time

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It’s about damn time that a Black woman be nominated, and we have to do all we can to make sure she’s confirmed.

I’ve seen myself represented on SCOTUS and other governing bodies, but to see this is just absolutely amazing.

“As a Black woman, I honestly never imagined a nomination like Judge Jackson’s would happen in my lifetime.

I believe she will adjudicate in a way that makes a profound difference to the U.S.—both short and long term—regardless of whether she holds the majority or minority opinion.

These thoughts were shared by the DBT team on the confirmation process of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. In case it’s not obvious — we’re thrilled.

Portrait of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
Portrait of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

As a critical branch of government whose participants are appointed for life, the Supreme Court wields incredible power over not only the interpretation of our laws, but the direction of our country overall. Its decisions have enshrined the federal right to abortion and to marry a same-sex partner, while also eroding federal voting protections and all but destroying our campaign finance system. The people making decisions on this Court should reflect our country. And until the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, none of those people has been a Black woman. 

As a result, it’s been crushingly easy for a certain kind of face, a certain type of viewpoint, to be normalized as the only “normal” one. Now, that’s changing. From our first Black and South Asian vice president, Kamala Harris, to our first-ever Native Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo), we’re starting to see lived experiences in our halls of power that have never been acknowledged or even thought of before. 

On the Supreme Court, where Donald Trump has appointed three young, conservative, white Supreme Court Justices for life, we’ll now see a Black woman who in addition to being a brilliant legal scholar has served as a public defender, shaped the guidelines of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, and is a parent to children of color, to name just a few important life experiences. We look forward to the voice she brings to the Court, and we look forward to the doors she will open for others.

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