Opposition to First Black Female Supreme Court Nominee

By Mildred Robertson

It seems that defending the public is viewed as a strike against Supreme Court Judge Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson.  At least if you are a republican. As the first Black, female nominee to the nation’s highest court, Judge Jackson has come under fierce scrutiny by Republican legislators, who among other things, said her background as a public defender may mean she is soft on crime. This outcry comes after many Republican legislators, even some who had supported her in the past, faced blowback when they unsuccessfully attempted to label Biden’s nomination as an “affirmative action” choice.

Republicans, searching for ways to oppose this stellar nominee, have flailed about attempting to reconcile past bipartisan support for Jackson with current efforts to derail her nomination. Justice Jackson, who attended Harvard University for college and law school, began her legal career with three clerkships, including one with U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer. She currently serves as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. It was April 19, 2021, when President Joe Biden nominated Judge Jackson to the U.S. Court of Appeals. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 14, 2021, by a vote of 53-44. Yet less than a year later, many of these same legislators want to question her credentials.

A deeper review of her qualifications indicates that her credentials surpass several sitting justices. Judge Jackson graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University where she was editor of the Harvard Law Review. She logged six years of service as a District, Appellate, and Supreme Court judge; serving two years in each role.  She has 8 years of private service experience and 5 years working for the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Top that off with 3 years of public service and 8 years as a District Judge. Her 32 years of service far exceed that of the last two Supreme Court Justices approved by the Senate; Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

As Republicans try to paint Jackson as a far-right liberal, her record has shown her to be a moderate Justice. Further, Jackson’s life experiences have prepared her to face decisions impartially from both sides of the spectrum. Jackson has familial connections in law enforcement, as well as family members who have had run-ins with the law. “You may have read that I have one uncle who got caught up in the drug trade and received a life sentence,” said Jackson. “That is true, but law enforcement also runs in my family. In addition to my brother, I had two uncles who served decades as police officers, one of whom became the police chief in my hometown of Miami, Florida.”

To that end, a major police chief’s organization is throwing its support behind Judge Jackson. In a letter sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, the International Association of Chiefs of Police urged senators to confirm Judge Jackson to the high court.

President Biden has clearly made an excellent choice in nominating Judge Jackson for the open seat on the Supreme Court. She is a highly qualified jurist whose record indicates that she can view issues from all sides. The record will not allow her detractors to paint her as unqualified. Her moderate record will debunk the false narrative that she will bring undue bias to the Court.  They are left with no argument other than the fact that she is a black female to oppose her appointment. It is an argument that they likely will make, nonetheless.