Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) on President Biden’s Nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the US Supreme Court
Friday, February 25, 2022
[Leahy, Judiciary Chair Durbin and others had an online conference with the White House about the President’s choice this morning. Judge Jackson photo courtesy of the White House.]
"President Biden’s nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve as a Justice on the Supreme Court is an historic moment for the Court, and for the country. The federal judiciary can and should reflect the diversity that is at the heart of our nation. Only then do we move closer to achieving a more perfect union.
"Judge Jackson has already demonstrated intellect and impartiality on both the D.C. District Court and the D.C. Circuit Court. The bipartisan votes with which she was confirmed to both these seats is a credit to the record she has shown since first being confirmed by the Senate — unanimously — in 2013. Her record in both the private and public sectors brings a diversity of legal experience that provides informed jurisprudence. This is the kind of nominee we should all expect to our nation’s highest court.
"The President has done his job, nominating a highly qualified, experienced judge for elevation to the Supreme Court. The Senate must now do its job — free of politics and political vitriol — to fairly and objectively evaluate this nominee. We have a true opportunity, after careful review, to provide our advice and consent on this historic nominee. I believe Judge Jackson’s nomination is one that can unite the Senate in sending a signal to the American people that our courts should not and must not be partisan arms of our government. I look forward to this historic confirmation process."
Sanders Statement on Supreme Court Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) today released the following statement on the nomination of Judge Jackson to be the next Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court:
“Let me congratulate President Biden for nominating Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the Supreme Court. In my view, we need a new member of the Supreme Court who has a strong track record standing up for justice – economic justice, racial justice, social justice, political justice and environmental justice. There is no doubt that Judge Jackson is that person.
“With nearly a decade of experience on the federal bench, Judge Jackson has proven that she is not only immensely qualified to serve on the Supreme Court, but that she is committed to fairness and equal justice under the law.
“Judge Jackson has already been confirmed by the Senate three times on a bi-partisan basis – twice by unanimous consent. There is no reason for her not to receive a fair and expeditious hearing in the Judiciary Committee and to be confirmed by the Senate as quickly as possible. I strongly support her nomination.”
On Friday morning, February 25, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to become the 116th Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
Since Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement, President Biden has conducted a rigorous process to identify his replacement. President Biden sought a candidate with exceptional credentials, unimpeachable character, and unwavering dedication to the rule of law. And the President sought an individual who is committed to equal justice under the law and who understands the profound impact that the Supreme Court’s decisions have on the lives of the American people.
That is why the President nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve as the next Justice on the Supreme Court. Judge Jackson is one of our nation’s brightest legal minds and has an unusual breadth of experience in our legal system, giving her the perspective to be an exceptional Justice.
About Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
Judge Jackson was born in Washington, DC and grew up in Miami, Florida. Her parents attended segregated primary schools, then attended historically black colleges and universities. Both started their careers as public school teachers and became leaders and administrators in the Miami-Dade Public School System. When Judge Jackson was in preschool, her father attended law school. In a 2017 lecture, Judge Jackson traced her love of the law back to sitting next to her father in their apartment as he tackled his law school homework—reading cases and preparing for Socratic questioning—while she undertook her preschool homework—coloring books.
Judge Jackson stood out as a high achiever throughout her childhood. She was a speech and debate star who was elected “mayor” of Palmetto Junior High and student body president of Miami Palmetto Senior High School. But like many Black women, Judge Jackson still faced naysayers. When Judge Jackson told her high school guidance counselor she wanted to attend Harvard, the guidance counselor warned that Judge Jackson should not set her “sights so high.”
That did not stop Judge Jackson. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, then attended Harvard Law School, where she graduated cum laude and was an editor of the Harvard Law Review.
Judge Jackson lives with her husband, Patrick, and their two daughters, in Washington, DC.
