U.S. President Nominates First Black Woman To The Supreme Court Of United States

Introducing Jackson, the President in the nomination speech said that he wanted to select a nominee worthy of retiring Justice Stephen Breyer's legacy. Saying that the courts in America haven't looked like America for far too long, he said it's time to have a Court that reflects the greatness of United States again.

Judge Jackson, whose parents graduated from Black Colleges, grew up in Miami, Florida. She attended the Harvard undergraduate school and later graduated from the Harvard Law School, where she was the editor of the prestigious Law Review.

After graduating, Judge Jackson was selected for the United States Supreme Court Clerkship by retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, whose seat she is nominated to fill.

President Joe Biden said that not only did Judge Jackson learn about being a judge from Justice Breyer himself, but she also imbibed his willingness to work with colleagues holding different viewpoints, and now, years later, she steps up to fill Justice Breyer's place on the Court.

Judge Jackson, belonging from a family of law enforcement, has previously served both as a federal public defender and in private law practice. If confirmed, she will join Justice Sotomayor as the only members of the United States Supreme Court having experience as a trial court judge. Also, like Justice Breyer, she would be the only member of the Court who has previously served as a member of the United States Sentencing Commission.

The President noted that Judge Jackson has already been confirmed by the United States Senate in three occasions. She was selected to serve on the United States Sentencing Commission to promote transparency and fairness in the criminal justice system. Thereafter, in 2013 she was confirmed by the Senate as the United States District Judge for the District of Columbia. In June 2021, she received her commission as a United States Circuit Judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the second most powerful court behind the Supreme Court.

The President, endorsing his nominee, said that the Court is equally as important as the presidency or the Congress and that he is pleased to nominate Judge Jackson, who he thinks will bring deep experience, intellect and a rigorous judicial record to the Court.