Washington, DC – Following President Joe Biden’s announcement, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is leading the many voices urging the United States Senate to confirm the historic nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson for the United States Supreme Court:
As one of the nation’s preeminent service-based sororities, comprised primarily of Black, college-educated women with more than 300,000 initiated members and over 1,000 chartered chapters worldwide, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., proudly supports President Joe Biden’s nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve as the first Black woman Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court.
The extraordinary qual- ifications, character, experience, integrity and commitment to upholding the United States Constitution that Ketanji Brown Jackson will bring to the Supreme Court is needed now more than ever.
As a two-time Harvard University graduate who currently serves on the D.C. Court of Appeals, widely known as the second most powerful court in the country, Judge Jackson is a seasoned and skilled jurist with a wide range of judicial experience: from working as an assistant federal public defender representing indigent defendants to serving as vice chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission for several years.
This nomination, while historic, is not symbolic. It represents the inclusion of not only a skilled jurist on the Court, but the opportunity to bring a diversity of thought, lived experiences and perspective that has never been represented on our nation’s highest court in the 233 years of its existence.
As Black women engaged in professional, civic and community endeavors across this country, we remain one of the most engaged voting demographics committed to protecting and advancing democracy for the benefit of all Americans.
However, Black women remain vastly underrepresented throughout the judiciary, even as many decisions before the courts have disparate impact on Black women, mothers, families and communities; from matters related to voting and reproductive rights to criminal and environmental justice.
A strong democracy can only thrive when the people of the nation are reflected in the leadership of the nation. To this end, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated strongly urges the United States Senate to move with fairness and respect to expeditiously execute this nomination process and confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court.
In doing so, we are confident that her confirmation will bring the country one step closer to achieving greater judicial diversity and a judicial system that better represents all Americans.
Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson At-a-Glance
- She is one of the brightest legal minds in the country with a well-rounded set of experiences in the legal system and judiciary that will make her an exceptional Justice.
- Former Speaker Paul Ryan praised her when she was nominated for District Court in 2012. “Our politics may differ, but my praise for Ketanji’s intellect, for her character, for her integrity is unequivocal,” he said. “She’s an amazing person, and I favorably recommend her consideration.”
- Judge Jackson has deep experience across the justice system, which will make her a well-rounded Justice. She comes from a family of police officers, worked as a public defender, served on the bipartisan US Sentencing Commission, and served as a judge on the District Court and D.C. Circuit Court of Appeal.
- Her nomination is fitting since she clerked for Justice Breyer. Through her clerkship, she learned the great rigor through which Justice Breyer approached the work and his willingness to work with colleagues of different viewpoints. She will bring that experience and the same approach to bear on the Supreme Court.
- Brown Jackson studied government at Harvard University and attended Harvard Law School, where she was supervising editor of the Harvard Law Review.
- Not only will she make history as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, but she will also be the first public defender to serve on the Court.
- Judge Jackson has a long and personal history working as a public defender. While at Harvard, a relative was sentenced to life in prison for a nonviolent drug offense. She helped convince a law firm to take his case pro bono, eventually leading President Obama to commute his sentence.
- Judge Brown Jackson has been confirmed by the Senate on three different occasions:
- In 2009, President Obama nominated Jackson to be Vice Chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission. She was later confirmed by unanimous consent in February 2010.
- In September 2012, President Obama nominated Jackson for a vacancy in the U.S. District Court for D.C. She was confirmed by voice vote in March of 2013.
- In April 2021, President Biden nominated Judge Jackson to the seat vacated by Attorney General Merrick Garland in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, often regarded as a training ground for the highest court in the land.
- In June of 2021, Jackson was confirmed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, with a 53-44 vote in the Senate, gaining the support of Senators Susan Collins, Lindsey Graham, and Lisa Murkowski.
- President Obama called her an “unwavering voice for justice and fairness” when he nominated her to the U.S. Sentencing Commission.
- Judge Jackson’s family exemplifies a true American success story thanks to hard work and determination. Her parents went to segregated schools and experienced the Jim Crow South as kids, but through hard work, they went to and graduated from college and became public school teachers. Eventually, her father went on to earn a law degree too. And now their daughter can become the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
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