In 1967, Thurgood Marshall became the first Black Supreme Court Justice. In 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman Supreme Court Justice. Now, Ketanji Brown Jackson is poised to become the first Black woman to sit on the highest court in the land.
President Joe Biden has selected the D.C. Circuit Judge to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, the White House confirmed Friday morning. Jackson, 51, had been rumored to be the President’s top choice since she was confirmed to the the D.C. Circuit last year by a vote of 53-44, with three Republican senators voting in her favor.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]
Jackson would bring a variety of professional experiences currently lacking from the Supreme Court, having not built a career as a prosecutor or corporate lawyer. She served as a federal public defender from 2005 to 2007, and would be the first Justice since Marshall who represented indigent criminal defendants. From 2010 to 2014, Jackson served as vice chair of the bipartisan U.S. Sentencing Commission, a period during which the commission reassessed the 100-to-1 crack versus powder cocaine sentencing disparity.
In recent weeks, Biden had whittled his list down to just a few names, including South Carolina District Judge J. Michelle Childs and California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger. His team ran detailed background checks on all three finalists.
After Biden officially announces his choice, the process moves over to Congress. Former Democratic Alabama Sen. Doug Jones has been tasked by the White House to be Jackson’s “sherpa,” meaning he’ll work to help her navigate the Hill in what can be a deeply contentious process. Jones will help Jackson arrange meetings with Senators from both sides of the aisle to try and garner their support ahead of the final confirmation vote. Such meetings have been pivotal in past nomination processes, one Democratic Judiciary Committee aide says.
Jackson will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee,…
Source : time
