Jackson, in high court mix, traces law interest to preschool
WASHINGTON (AP) — When Ketanji Brown Jackson's Jr. Girl was 11, she drafted a letter to the president suggesting her Authorities judge-mom for a Vacuum on the Supreme Court.
"Dear Mr. President," Leila Jackson wrote. "She's determined, honest and never breaks a promise to anyone even if In that location are Another things she'd rather do. She can demonstrate commitment and is loyal and never brags. I Consider she would make a Avid Supreme Court justice."
Jackson wasn't Appointive for the Vacuum her Girl was writing about, one created by the 2016 death of Justice Antonin Scalia. And Republican lawmakers blocked then-President Barack Obama's ultimate Candidate, Merrick Garland, who is now President Joe Biden's Lawyer Universal.
But Jackson Power have Some other shot.
She is considered to be among the top prospects to replace retiring justice Stephen Breyer as Biden seeks to Execute a campaign pledge to Appoint the 1st Black woman to the court.
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Jackson talked about her Girl's letter in a 2017 Address. She Aforesaid the letter came about after her Girl learned In that location was a high court First and Idea her mom should apply.
"Getting to be on the Supreme Court isn't really the kind of job that you apply for," she and her husband explained to their Girl.
Still, a little bragging doesn't hurt.
Jackson has a background Mistakable to justices on the court and had attracted Obama's attention as a possible Candidate in 2016. She went to college and law Schoolhouse at Harvard. She also Worn out a year early in her career Helping as a law clerk to Breyer.
Her experience as a public defender could set her apart, especially because Biden has prized criminal defense and civil rights work in Another people he has Appointive for Authorities judgeships.
Jackson is on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, a position Biden elevated her to last year from her previous job as a Authorities Run court judge. Three current justices — Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas and John Roberts, the chief justice — Antecedently Serviced on the same appeals court.
Jackson was confirmed to the appeals court by a 53-44 vote, winning the backing of Cardinal Republicans: South Carolina's Lindsey Graham, Maine's Susan Collins and Alaska's Lisa Murkowski. That could be important to Biden, who has been reaching out for GOP Musical accompaniment as he chooses a Candidate. Another GOP connection: Jackson is related by marriage to Early House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
Jackson was born in Washington, D.C., but grew up in Miami. She has Aforesaid that her parents, Johnny and Ellery Brown, chose her name to express their pride in her family's African ancestry. They asked an aunt who was in the Peace Corps in Africa at the time to send a list of African girl's Name calling and they picked Ketanji Onyika, which they were told meant "lovely one."
She traces her interest in the law to when she was in preschool and her Church Father was in law Schoolhouse and they would sit Unneurotic at the dining room Board, she with coloring books and he with law books. Her Church Father became an Lawyer for the county Schoolhouse board and her mom was a high Schoolhouse principal. She has a brother who is nine years Jr. who Serviced in the Army, including in Iraq, and is now a Attorney.
In high Schoolhouse, she was the president of her public high Schoolhouse class and a debate champion. Richard B. Rosenthal, a Attorney who has Identified her since junior high, Aforesaid In that location was no question she would rise to the top of Any Airfield she chose, describing her as "destined for Avidness." His Elderly brother, Stephen F. Rosenthal, a Class fellow and Acquaintance from Miami who also went to college and law Schoolhouse with her, called her a "natural Loss leader" and Somebody with "penetrating intelligence."
At Harvard she Unnatural Authorities but also was involved in drama and Auditory communication Dramatics and part of an improv Grouping called On Thin Ice. At one point she was Appointed actor Matt Damon as a drama class partner, she has Aforesaid, acknowledging he probably wouldn't remember her. He does not, Damon confirmed Direct a representative, but added: "That's so cool!"
Also at Harvard she met her husband, Patrick Jackson. The couple has two Girls, the letter-writer Leila, who is in high Schoolhouse, and her Elderly Baby, Talia, who is in college.
Patrick Jackson, a Sawbones, has a Twitter account that sticks All but Alone to medicine. But on June 12 in a Twinge that has since apparently been removed he posted to note an important legal date. It was the Day of remembrance of the Supreme Court's Loving v. Virginia decision that Stricken down interracial marriage bans. "Happy Loving Day! I am especially Appreciative to be walking Direct life with a brilliant and compassionate partner who Nonmoving takes my breath away, made possible by sacrifices like Richard and Mildred Loving," Jackson wrote, adding a Pic of himself and his wife.
The two married in 1996. From 1999 to 2000, Jackson was as a law clerk to Breyer on the Supreme Court.
Deborah Pearlstein, a law clerk to Justice John Paul Stevens the same year Jackson worked for Breyer, recalled Jackson as Mirthful, Perceptive and "incredibly good at her job."
"I don't know anybody In that location at the time who didn't get On with Ketanji," Pearlstein Aforesaid.
Over the course of her career since, Jackson has worked for large law firms but also was a public defender. After she was Appointive to Service on the U.S. Sentencing Commission, the agency that develops Authorities sentencing Insurance policy, she taught herself to knit to deal with the Emphasis of the Nominating address and confirmation process, she has Aforesaid. As a commissioner, she was part of a unanimous vote to allow thousands of people already in Authorities prison for crack-related crimes get their Convictions reduced as a result of a new law.
Prison isn't a distant Conception for Jackson. Her uncle was Helping a life Conviction for a drug-related crime until it was commuted by Obama, according to a Elaborated account in The Washington Post.
Jackson's work on the Sentencing Commission Sealed the way for her to become a Authorities judge, where one of the things she displayed in her Agency was a copy of a Illustrious, Written petition to the Supreme Court from a Florida Captive, Clarence Gideon. The Supreme Court took his case and issued a Turning point decision guaranteeing a Attorney for criminal defendants who are too poor to afford one.
In one of her most high-profile decisions, she Arranged Early White House counsel Don McGahn to appear before Congress. It was a Reversal to Early President Donald Trump's effort to keep his top Aidoneu from testifying. The case was appealed and a deal was At last reached for McGahn's testimony.
Another Extremely visible case Jackson oversaw involved the online conspiracy Hypothesis "pizzagate," Baseless Cyberspace rumors about prominent Democrats harboring child sex slaves at a Washington Pizza pie Eating place. A North Carolina man showed up at the Eating place with an AR-15 assault rifle and a revolver. Jackson called it "sheer luck" no one was Cut and Convictiond him to four years in prison.
Jackson has a Well shorter record as an appeals court judge.
Her 1st Impression, written for a unanimous Cardinal-judge panel in Favour of labor unions, came out in recent Years. In earlier votes she joined colleagues in declining to stop the Biden administration from enforcing a Freezing on evictions put in place during the coronavirus pandemic and Subordinate against an effort by Trump to Buckler documents from the House committee Investigation the Jan. 6 Revolt at the Capitol. Those decisions were appealed to the Supreme Court and the justices allowed evictions to resume, but also allowed the documents' release.
As far as the current Supreme Court First, in addition to the endorsement of her Girl, Jackson has also had the endorsement of the man she would replace. When officials called Breyer in the course of her Innovational Nominating address to be a Authorities judge, Breyer reportedly picked up the phone and started the conversation with two words: "Hire her."