Biden Nominates Harvard Grad Ketanji Brown Jackson For Supreme Court
CAMBRIDGE (CBS) -- President Biden has selected Harvard University graduate Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by retiring Justice Stephen Breyer.
Jackson, a federal appeals court judge, would be the first Black woman on the nation's highest court, fulfilling a campaign pledge by Biden.
Jackson is a former public defender with experience representing indigent criminal defendants and has been a federal judge for almost nine years. She is a Washington, D.C. native who grew up in Florida.
"If I am fortunate enough to be confirmed as the next associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, I can only hope that my life and career, my love of this country and the constitution, and my commitment to upholding the rule of law and sacred principles upon which this great nation was founded will inspire future generations of Americans," she said at the White House Friday.
Jackson earned her degree in government from Harvard in 1992 and graduated in 1996 from Harvard Law School, where she was a supervising editor of the Harvard Law Review. She was a law clerk for Judge Patti B. Saris of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
"She cares about making sure that our democracy works for the American people. She listens. She looks people in the eye — lawyers, defendants, victims and families — and she strives to ensure that everyone understands why she made a decision," Biden said.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts praised Biden's pick.
"Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is an exceptional choice," she tweeted. "As a former public defender, she will bring an invaluable perspective to the Supreme Court. She's been previously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on a bipartisan basis — and I fully support her swift confirmation."
All 50 Senate Democrats will need to support Jackson's historic nomination in order for her to be confirmed, unless she is able to get Republican support. Democratic leaders have said they intend to push a nominee through quickly, similar to the confirmation process of Justice Amy Coney Barrett that took place in less than a month.
If confirmed, Jackson would join fellow Harvard Law alums Neil Gorsuch, Elena Kagan and Chief Justice John Roberts on the court.
