The Next RBG: Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
Miranda Gilbert, Contributor @ Media x Women
Judge (soon to be Justice) Ketanji Brown Jackson’s appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States marked a historic turning point in the history of the American judicial system. As the first black woman and the first former public defender to have a seat on the supreme court, Judge Jackson’s confirmation and forthcoming appointment represent a change in the course of judicial precedent and a historic win for people of color, women, and anyone who has ever felt marginalized by a broken system that was created to work against them.
As a public defender, Judge Jackson served as council for defendants who did not have the means to pay for counsel of their own. Public defenders are vital to our nation’s judicial process and dedicate themselves to serving those who need their help the most. As a public defender, Judge Jackson helped people that other lawyers avoided at all costs. Taking on the cases nobody wanted to get close to, Judge Jackson demonstrated her commitment to helping people who need it, regardless of their circumstances. Following her time as a public defender, Judge Jackson went on to sit on the bench on the D.C. Circuit court and then as a judge on the D.C. court of appeals.
The eyes of the nation have been on Judge Jackson for months. Every major media outlet has covered her hearings and profiled her entire family. Handling her new life in the public eye with grace and class has shown us that Judge Jackson has everything it takes to be a supreme court justice. She is level-headed, fair, incredibly intelligent, and thoughtful with everything she does in her work. Though her accomplishments and judicial prowess are indisputable, some members of the Senate Judiciary Committee took it upon themselves to make her hearing process as difficult and childish as possible. In the televised and widely talked about hearings, Senators asked Judge Jackson if she thought babies were racist and how often she went to church, among other things. The lines of questioning that Judge Jackson had to put up with during her hearing were beyond anything we have seen in the past and showed us just how damaged our legislative system has become thanks to divisive rhetoric and conspiracy theories that have no business being in a supreme court hearing.
The grace with which Judge Jackson handled the televised childish and unnecessary questions and accusations coming from certain senators on the judiciary committee proves to us that she is more than capable to take on the job of Supreme Court Justice. Judge Jackson was able to remain level-headed and calm throughout her hearings, responding to these questions and the senators that asked them in a way that demonstrated her impeccable character and grace under pressure. Judge Jackson did not deserve to be attacked in the way that she was and the fact that she was able to sit back and let horrible, baseless accusations and asinine retorts roll off her shoulders is a small part of what makes her such an inspiring woman and legislator. Comparisons between KBJ and the late RBG are already being made and which good reason. Standing on the soldiers of the great RBG, KBJ is ready to take over as the court’s resident female icon, a champion for women, people of color, and marginalized communities throughout the United States. There is no doubt that her time as a Supreme Court justice will be history-making in more ways than one.
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https://www.eenews.net/articles/committee-sets-vote-on-jackson-supreme-court-nomination/