WASHINGTON, D.C. — I am so proud that for the first time in 232 years, a Black woman will finally sit in one of the most powerful judicial seats in the world. Today the Senate voted 53 YES – 47 NO to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as a Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
At long last, our nation’s highest court will look a bit more like the diverse United States that it represents. Judge Brown Jackson’s impeccable record as a fair, knowledgeable, and empathetic jurist will be a great asset to the judicial body that is tasked with upholding our democracy.
Even though her opponents’ attacks during the confirmation hearings ranged from the ridiculous to the dangerous, she handled every question with the grace and grit that has defined her life – on and off the bench. She gave us a glimpse of the type of Justice that she will be, one who will serve with integrity and be an inspiration for all those who watch her journey, especially Black and brown women and girls.
Judge Brown Jackson will not only continue Justice Bryer’s long legacy of fairness, but will shape her own outstanding legacy. Her diverse experience as both a public and private defense attorney and a judge provides her with a necessary perspective and the ability to take a holistic approach to each case she hears.
We are confident that Judge Brown Jackson will uphold NOW’s core values in her rulings and will continue to be a champion for equality for all. NOW and our members were proud to support her history-making nomination. We will watch with hopeful and proud eyes as she is sworn into the Supreme Court.
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The National Organization for Women (NOW) is the nation’s leading membership-based advocacy group dedicated to defending women’s rights, advancing equality and combating injustice in all aspects of social, political and economic life. Through educating, mobilizing, and convening a vast network of grassroots activists across the country, NOW advocates for national, state and local policies that promote an anti-racist and intersectional feminist agenda. Since its founding in 1966, NOW has been on the frontlines of nearly every major advancement for women’s rights and continues to champion progressive values today. More about NOW’s efforts and resources is available at NOW.org.