JUNEAU, AK (February 25, 2022) – The White House announced today President Joe Biden’s intent to nominate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. If confirmed, she will be the first Black woman, as well as first former federal public defender, to serve on the Supreme Court.
President Biden conducted a rigorous process to identify a candidate with exceptional credentials, unimpeachable character, and unwavering dedication to the rule of law following the announcement of Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement last month.
“For more than two centuries, the U.S. Supreme Court has had a pivotal role in shaping federal law and policy toward tribal governments and Indigenous people," said President Richard Chalyee Éesh Peterson. “Judge Jackson is not only an exceptionally qualified nominee, she is an historic nominee, and we look forward to learning more about her through the hearing and confirmation process. The Supreme Court’s decisions shape real opportunities in Native communities and we hope she understands the profound impact it has on the lives of Alaska Native and American Indian people and our way of life.
Judge Jackson currently serves as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and has devoted the majority of her career to serving the public. She has served as a federal appellate judge, a federal district court judge, a member of the U.S. Sentencing Commission where she focused on reducing unwarranted sentencing disparities and ensuring that federal sentences were just and proportionate. She’s also worked as a private practice attorney, and as a federal public defender representing defendants on appeal who did not have the means to pay for a lawyer. She has also been confirmed by the Senate on a bipartisan basis three times, two of which were nominations made by President Barack Obama.
Judge Jackson has won praise from grassroots progressives, civil rights and legal groups, particularly for her work as vice chair of the bipartisan U.S. Sentencing Commission between 2010 and 2014, when she played a key role in major criminal justice reforms.
Judge Jackson was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Miami, Florida. Her parents attended segregated primary schools in the South, then attended Historically Black Colleges and Universities. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College, then attended Harvard Law School, where she graduated cum laude and was an editor of the Harvard Law Review.
“I am certain that Tlingit & Haida, along with many other Alaska tribes, will be actively urging Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan to support Judge Jackson if she can bring a unique and diverse voice to the Court's deliberations that shape our unique and richly diverse Alaska Native future,” said President Peterson.
A formal ceremony for nomination took place at 2:00 PM (EST) today where President Biden and Judge Jackson both spoke. Democrats have the votes to confirm Jackson without Republican support and it is expected that the Senate will move forward with a fair and timely hearing and confirmation.
