Judge Jackson’s Trailblazing Appointment
As President Joe Biden honored the retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer on Jan. 27, Biden concurrently announced that he would be nominating the nation’s first Black female justice as Breyer’s replacement. Breyer’s retirement from the court gives Biden his first opportunity to select a Supreme Court justice, as it is within his executive power to appoint one. Biden believes that appointing a Black woman for the Supreme Court justice has been long overdue and is looking to follow through on the commitment he made during his presidential campaign to diversify the Supreme Court (Los Angeles Times). Thus, Biden selected Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on Feb. 25 (National Broadcasting Company News). Jackson is a 51-year-old judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit who previously clerked for–or assisted with the duties of–Breyer. This appointment does not alter the Supreme Court’s political balance, since without Breyer the court has six conservative justices appointed by Republicans and two liberal justices appointed by Democrats (Cable News Network). Freshman Emilia DiPiazza agrees with Biden’s idea of change brought to the Supreme Court.
“I think it is very exciting that the Supreme Court has representation from [different] races and genders,” DiPiazza said. “[Biden nominating a Black woman] is a historic event, a long overdue milestone in more representation and [a step towards] a more diverse government.”
To finalize a nominee, Biden worked with a group of internal advisers, who work with him long-term and work on projects with him, and external advisers, who do consultant work and work for Biden short-term, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris. Biden’s team began reaching out and meeting with the nominees during the first week of February, and they eventually narrowed it down to a short list of 10 candidates. In addition to Jackson were Leondra Reid Kruger, a 45-year-old justice on the California Supreme Court who previously clerked for former Justice John Paul Stevens, and Julianna Michelle Childs, a 55-year-old Federal District Court judge in South Carolina. Sophomore Katara Chang feels that there should be an increase for minority representation in political positions of power.
“I think that the nominations for [the Supreme Court justice] position are qualified and capable,” Chang said. “Although there have still been no Asian American, Native American or Pacific Islander Supreme Court Justices, this is definitely a positive step.”
Biden’s plan to diversify the Supreme Court helps address the problem of discrimination in politics that has been prevalent in the past (The New York Times). This is due to the fact that in order to have a qualified pool of potential justices, there must be a large number of experienced attorneys and scholars. Many women and people of color were often excluded from the top positions of the legal profession due to racial and gender discrimation as well as economic factors (Pew Research Center). In 22 states, there is not a single justice who is a person of color, including 11 states where people of color makeup at least 20% of the population. Given the higher rates of incarceration and harsher sentences to people of color, more racially representative state and federal Supreme Courts could prove to be beneficial in creating an improved justice system (Democracy Docket); just last year, the incarceration rate of African Americans in local U.S. jails was 465 incarcerations a day, which is higher than any other ethnicity (Statista). Moreover, Jackson has been receiving a great amount of support from fellow politicians such as former president Mitt Romney and lawyer William Burck. Junior Sarah Wang feels that there should be no room for discrimination in a political environment and encourages everyone to vote and exercise their civil duties.“[People of color] and women appointed in political positions should be unquestionably normalized because for decades [they] have been more than qualified and impassioned to take office,” Wang said. “Discrimination is a real and present threat, and the democracy and our nation depends upon us. The best way to achieve change is to let your voice be heard.”
