Today, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed with bipartisan support as the 116^th Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and is now the first Black woman to serve on the Court

Raised by public school teachers, Ketanji Brown Jackson was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Miami, Florida. She graduated from Miami Palmetto Senior High School and went on to attend Harvard University, where she graduated magna cum laude. She then attended Harvard Law School, where she graduated with cum laude honors and was an editor of the Harvard Law Review

After law school, Justice Jackson served as a clerk for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who she is replacing on the Court, and worked as a federal public defender. In 2009, President Barack Obama nominated her to serve as vice chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission – she was confirmed in 2010 with bipartisan backing.

As vice chair, Justice Jackson worked on addressing unjustified sentencing disparities and making sure federal sentences were proportionate. In 2012, President Obama nominated her to serve as a district court judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia – she was confirmed with bipartisan backing in 2013.

When President Joe Biden took office in 2021, Justice Jackson was one of his very first judicial nominees. President Biden appointed her to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

“Justice Jackson is eminently qualified for this role, with a robust judicial record and many years of experience on the federal bench. Under hours of hostile questioning from conservative senators during her confirmation hearing, Justice Jackson maintained impeccable poise and demonstrated that she has a sharp legal mind focused on addressing injustice.

She brings a perspective that was sorely lacking to the court and I am thrilled to join millions across the great state of New York and our country in celebrating this historic day. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is truly an inspiration to so many, especially young girls and women of color.” said Assemblyman Charles D. Fall.