Ketanji Brown Jackson defies all Supreme Court statistics: female, young, African American. The American president has just officially named her a judge of the highest court in the country. “She is one of our nation’s brightest legal minds,” tweeted Joe Biden, who will formally introduce the progressive magistrate at a White House ceremony later today. At 51, she would become the third African-American person and the first black woman to serve on it. Because one condition remains: to obtain the green light from the Senate, currently with a conservative majority.
The winning judge was one of three finalists, following a designation process to which the greatest care is taken to avoid any unpleasant surprises during the confirmation phase in the Senate. An intense moment during which the Democrats can expect to see the magistrate put on the grill by the Republicans.
But a “yes” will not change the balance of power within the high court, also with a conservative majority. Before Joe Biden, Donald Trump had the opportunity to appoint three judges to the Supreme Court, anchoring the case in conservatism possibly for several decades. The institution, which plays a crucial role in resolving important societal debates in the United States in addition to ensuring the constitutionality of laws, has six conservative magistrates – half of whom were appointed by former President Donald Trump – and three progressives, all appointed for life. With this first designation, Joe Biden intends to freeze the situation thanks to this younger judge.
A former defense attorney
Beyond labels, Ketanji Brown Jackson is above all a gifted jurist, with intimate experience of the penal system. While most judges at this level have distinguished themselves as prosecutors, the 50-year-old worked on the side of the accused. For two years, she was a lawyer in the legal aid services in Washington, defending destitute defendants.
Ketanji Brown Jackson had a stable childhood in a family of teachers in Florida. Her father then went back to law school and became a lawyer on a school board, while her mother rose to the rank of principal. Champion of eloquence competitions from high school, she had joined the prestigious Harvard University, then alternated experiences in private and public.
In 2012, Democratic President Barack Obama named this mother of two daughters, married to a surgeon, a federal judge in Washington. She also worked as an aide to progressive Justice Stephen Breyer, who just recently announced his decision to leave the Supreme Court. Ketanji Brown Jackson would therefore replace his former mentor, who will officially retire at the end of June, and would shake up the codes of a somewhat austere court. As for Joe Biden, his campaign promise will indeed have been kept.