She is the first black magistrate called to sit on the highest judicial institution in the United States. US President Joe Biden decided on Friday February 25 to appoint Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. He thus confirms information given a little earlier by CNN and NBC (links in English).
“I am proud to announce that I am nominating Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the Supreme Court. Currently serving on the United States Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, she is one of the most brilliant of our country and will be an exceptional judge”, tweeted Joe Biden. He will formally introduce the magistrate during a ceremony at the White House on Friday afternoon.
I’m proud to announce that I am nominating Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the Supreme Court. Currently serving on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, she is one of our nation’s brightest legal minds and will be an exceptional Justice.https://t.co/iePvhz1YaA pic.twitter.com/Nzqv2AtN8h
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 25, 2022
Then, Ketanji Brown Jackson will have to be confirmed by the Senate to join the body, currently with a conservative majority, which decides the important social debates in the United States.
If confirmed by the Senate, this brilliant 51-year-old jurist will become the first African-American magistrate in the high institution, where only two black men have sat so far. But she will also be one of the few to have professional and intimate experience of the penal system, because for two years she was a lawyer in the legal aid services in Washington, where she defended destitute defendants.
Ketanji Brown Jackson was one of three finalists, following a process of appointment to which the greatest care is taken, to avoid any unpleasant surprises during the confirmation phase in the Senate. This obligatory passage is an intense moment, during which the Democrats can expect to see the magistrate put on the grill by the Republicans. Given the stakes, Joe Biden got involved himself in this selection, interviewing the magistrates in the final competition.