From left: Joe Biden, Ketanji Brown Jackson.Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty
PresidentJoe Bidenintroduced the country to his Supreme Court nominee on Friday afternoon, saying in a speech from the White House that51-year-old Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson"strives to be fair, to get it right, to do justice."
In his remarks, Biden acknowledged his nomination was being delivered against the backdrop ofRussia’s invasion into Ukraine, saying, “Today, as we watch freedom and liberty under attack abroad, I’m here to fulfill my responsibilities under the Constitution — to preserve freedom and liberty here in the United States of America.”
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Biden, who had pledged to nominate a Black woman for the role during his campaign, reflected on the historical implications of his choice.
“For too long, our government, our courts haven’t looked like America,” he said. “I believe it’s time that we have a court that reflects the full talents and greatness of our nation with a nominee of extraordinary qualifications,”
But Biden also painted a picture of Jackson’s life relatable for many Americans.
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A daughter of former public school teachers, Jackson was born in Washington, D.C., but raised in Miami, graduating from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. She clerked for Stephen Breyer — the justice she would replace if confirmed.
“Like so many women in this country, Judge Jackson is a working mom,” Biden said Friday, noting that she had both her children while in the legal industry.
Joe Biden.SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty
The White House ended weeks of speculation about Biden’s first Supreme court pick on Friday morning, confirming thatJackson would be nominatedto the high court.
Explaining the choice to PEOPLE earlier in the day, a White House official said Jackson is seen as “one of our nation’s brightest legal minds” and noted her career ranges from clerking for Breyer himself to serving as an appellate judge and on the U.S. Sentencing Commission as well as a federal public defender. Biden has made a point with his judicial nominees to draw from those with criminal defense experience.
If confirmed, Jackson — currently serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit since last year — will replace Justice Breyer, whosaid in January he will retirefrom the court.
Democrats intend to move quickly, mindful of their narrow majority in the Senate ahead of the November midterm elections, when Republicans could retake the chamber.
Justice Breyer has previously called Jackson called her “brilliant” and praised her “common sense” and “thoughtfulness,“according to SCOTUS Blog.
Paying homage to Breyer in her remarks Friday, Jackson said, “Justice Breyer, the members of the Senate will decide if I fill your seat, but please know I can never fill your shoes.”
She also thanked the president, in light of the world events taking place at the time of her nomination: “I am especially grateful for the care that you have taken in discharging your constitutional duty in service of our democracy with all that is going on in the world today.”
source: people.com
