The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States. Right now, the court has nine justices, or judges. They make decisions about important laws. The President has the power to choose a justice, but the Senate approves the choice. Justices serve until they die or choose to step down. Most serve about 16 years.
In January, United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced that he was retiring from the Court. President Biden said that he planned to appoint a Black woman to the Court. Two Black justices have served on the Supreme Court in the past, but they were both men. Only five women have been judges.
On February 25, President Biden announced that he would nominate federal judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for a seat on the Supreme Court. He called her “one of our nation’s brightest legal minds.” Judge Jackson was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Miami, Florida. Her parents started their careers as teachers. Her father went to law school when Jackson was in preschool.
Judge Jackson graduated with honors from Harvard University and went on to Harvard Law School. Her first job was a public defender. That means that she represented defendants who could not pay for their own lawyers. Many people are celebrating this historic choice for the Supreme Court.
What Do You Think? Why do you think it is important to have a Black woman serving on the U.S. Supreme Court?
Update: Ketanji Brown Jackson has been confirmed as as Supreme Court Justice by the United States Senate. She will be sworn in this summer, after the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer.
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