WASHINGTON – On reports that President Biden will nominate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, following the announcement of Justice Stephen Breyer’s forthcoming retirement, Constitutional Accountability Center President Elizabeth Wydra issued the following reaction:

This nomination is historic and long overdue.

For generations, America has produced brilliant Black women attorneys and judges exceptionally qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. Yet for 230 years—with 115 justices serving over that period—no Black woman was even nominated, much less confirmed, to the High Court. Today, President Biden took a momentous step to remedy that glaring error by drawing from a deep bench of attorneys with stellar credentials, nominating Judge Jackson, a deeply impressive choice.

We have long known Judge Jackson to be a superb, fair-minded jurist. She has a powerful commitment to equal justice, repeatedly demonstrating her commitment to the text, history, and values of the whole Constitution. She understands how the law affects people, drawing upon her professional as well as her lived experiences.

It is also worth noting, Judge Jackson has nearly nine years’ experience in her service on the U.S. District Court and U.S. Court of Appeals, almost twice as much pre-Supreme Court bench experience as Justices Barrett, Kagan, and Thomas put together. And by the end of next month, Judge Jackson will have over 2 years more pre-Supreme Court bench experience than Justices Barrett, Kagan, Thomas, and Chief Justice Roberts combined.

We congratulate both President Biden on making this momentous choice, and Judge Jackson for making history. We enthusiastically support her nomination and look forward to her prompt consideration by the Senate Judiciary Committee and confirmation by the full Senate.

#

Resources:

* CAC Letter to Full Senate in Support of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Nomination to D.C. Circuit, June 9, 2021: https://www.theusconstitution.org/testimony/cac-letter-to-full-senate-in-support-of-judge-ketanji-brown-jacksons-nomination-to-d-c-circuit/

* CAC Letter In Support of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Nomination to D.C. Circuit, May 19, 2021: https://www.theusconstitution.org/testimony/cac-letter-in-support-of-judge-ketanji-brown-jacksons-nomination-to-d-c-circuit/

* Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson received her commission to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on March 26, 2013. She received her commission to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on June 17, 2021. March 26, 2022 would mark 9 years—3288 days—of total bench experience between U.S. District Court and D.C. Circuit service. That means Judge Jackson has nearly twice as much pre-Supreme Court bench experience as Justices Barrett, Kagan, and Thomas put together. [3288 days vs. 1681 days] Including Chief Justice Roberts, Judge Jackson would have 756 days, or more than 2 years, pre-Supreme Court bench experience than four sitting justices. [3288 days vs. 2532 days]

##

Constitutional Accountability Center is a think tank, public interest law firm, and action center dedicated to fulfilling the progressive promise of the Constitution’s text and history. Visit CAC’s website at www.theusconstitution.org.

###