Why senators must give Ketanji Brown Jackson the support she deserves
As the first African American woman to serve on the Supreme Court of North Carolina, I appreciate the magnitude of President Biden’s historic nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court of the United States.
With U.S. Senate confirmation, Jackson would become the first African American woman to join the court in its 233-year history. As Jackson’s confirmation hearings begin this week, I am hopeful that her strong academic credentials, diversity of professional expertise, and unique historic perspective will garner the bipartisan support that she deserves.
For such an eminently qualified candidate to be denied confirmation lends credibility to the notion that partisan politics have played an outsized role in the selection of the newest member of the court. Extreme partisan politics causes mistrust of the institution and lack of trust in the courts harms our democracy.
What would it mean to our nation and to Jackson for her to become a member of that august body? For me, this eminently qualified jurist should be confirmed because her presence would strengthen the institution — her legal qualifications are sterling, and the diversity of perspectives that she brings to the Court are incredibly important.
I strongly believe in the promise of the courts to make a real difference in the lives of the American people. As a veteran of North Carolina’s courts for nearly three decades, I understand the source of the court’s power. That power comes from the people, who for centuries have trusted the courts to peaceably resolve their disputes and disagreements.
North Carolina and our nation enjoy stability and prosperity in large measure because of a strong judiciary — strong rule of law tradition. Our citizenry rely on a fair, independent judiciary.
Jackson is a Harvard-educated lawyer who is superbly qualified to serve on the Supreme Court — possessing the double Ivy League education of present members of the court. Jackson followed her impressive academic credentials with a judicial clerkship on the Supreme Court in the chambers of Justice Stephen Breyer. She has already been confirmed twice by the Senate for federal judgeships, with bipartisan support.
Jackson brings a perspective and expertise that has not been present on the court since Justice Thurgood Marshall‘s retirement. Her years as a federal public defender, providing the right to counsel enshrined in our Constitution to persons unable to afford private counsel in criminal cases, amplifies the voices of the most vulnerable in our society. When new voices are amplified, the American experiment gets stronger.
And yes, it matters that she will be the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. Black women were among the last to gain the right to vote, while often serving as the backbone of families and contributing in so many ways to the progress of our nation.
We should all support Jackson’s nomination and urge her confirmation. The U.S. Senate has before it a stellar nominee, who contributes to the achievement of an important milestone. We knew and felt the significance of the moment in 1981 when President Reagan’s nominee, Sandra Day O’Connor, was confirmed to sit on the highest court in the land.
So, let us support Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation in the same fashion. Let this nation celebrate her legal acumen, her enhancement of the judiciary, and the historic nature of her nomination.
This story was originally published March 21, 2022 at 11:27 AM with the headline "Why senators must give Ketanji Brown Jackson the support she deserves."