If she is confirmed by the full U.S.  Senate, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will be the first Black woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court

 WASHINGTON, DC – Today, after President Biden announced he will nominate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the United States Supreme Court, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) issued the following statement:

“Judge Jackson is a brilliant person with a keen legal mind and impeccable credentials.  Having clerked for Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court, worked as a public defender, served as a federal district judge, and a member of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, she brings an incredible depth of experience to the court.  In fact, the last justice to have a resume like hers that includes a stint as a criminal defense attorney was Justice Thurgood Marshall.  She also has a Rhode Island connection, having clerked for Judge Bruce Selya, a Reagan appointee who now serves on senior status on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

“Judge Jackson is an exemplary, history-making nominee.  She has served on the federal bench with distinction and reverence for the law and our Constitution.  She has already proven herself to be a fair, independent-minded judge.  She is someone who all Americans can count on to always put the Constitution first and serve justice.

“A fully functioning Supreme Court is essential to our government, judiciary, and legal system.  The American people deserve a fair hearing on Judge Jackson’s nomination to fully understand what kind of justice she will be.  Just a year ago, I had the opportunity to review Judge Jackson’s record and vote for her confirmation to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.  I now look forward to the Senate’s prompt consideration of her nomination to the highest court in the land.”

Judge Jackson currently sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and has been nominated to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer, who she once clerked for.  If she is confirmed by the full U.S. Senate, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will be the first Black woman and first former public defender to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Like Senator Reed, Judge Jackson is a graduate of Harvard Law School.  She clerked for several federal judges and practiced law before serving in the federal public defender’s office in D.C. for two and a half years.  She helped shape federal sentencing policy as a commissioner on the U.S. Sentencing Commission and has twice been confirmed by the full U.S. Senate to serve on the federal bench, first on the federal District Court in Washington, DC, where she served for eight years before President Biden nominated her for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. circuit last year, where she earned bipartisan support.