ACS Applauds President Biden's Historic Nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Pablo Willis, pwillis@acslaw.org

Washington, DC — President of the American Constitution Society Russ Feingold released the following statement on President Biden’s historic nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“ACS applauds President Biden’s historic nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Jackson is exceptionally well qualified and will make an excellent justice if confirmed.

Judge Jackson’s extensive record as a judge demonstrates her commitment to fairness, impartiality, and equal justice for all. She served with distinction for over eight years on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, where she wrote nearly 600 opinions. Since last summer, she has served on the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

The Supreme Court should reflect the diversity of the public it serves. And yet, to the collective detriment of the Court and our country, it never has. Today, President Biden has taken a critical and long overdue step towards diversifying the Court, and he has done so with an outstanding nominee who is committed to upholding the U.S. Constitution.

Judge Jackson will bring a perspective that has never been included in Supreme Court deliberations. In addition to being the first Black woman to be nominated to the Supreme Court, she brings professional diversity to the Court with her extensive and laudable career in public service, including her years as a public defender. Her experience and perspective will help the Court better understand the law’s effects on people’s rights and lives.

We hope Senators will see this historic confirmation process as an opportunity for bipartisanship and unity, in a time too often devoid of both. The confirmation of lower federal court nominees over the past year has been an encouraging vestige of bipartisanship and this confirmation should be no different.

On the heels of the last three Supreme Court confirmation processes, which made a mockery of the Senate’s “advice and consent” responsibility, we look forward to a process that is respectful of Senate norms and the nominee. This hope is especially warranted considering Judge Jackson was confirmed to the D.C. Circuit with a bipartisan vote less than a year ago.

Our democracy is confronting a moment of truth, torn between succumbing to autocracy and forging a genuinely multiracial democracy. The Supreme Court is at the center of this inflection point, with the ability to preserve the guardrails of democracy or to continue its systemic erosion of our rights and liberties. This moment underscores the importance of this nomination, of a nominee with a proven track record of upholding constitutional rights and safeguarding the rule of law. We look forward to heralding Judge Jackson’s impact and contribution to the Court and to our country for years to come.”

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AMERICAN CONSTITUTION SOCIETY

ACS believes that the Constitution is “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” We interpret the Constitution based on its text and against the backdrop of history and lived experience. Through a diverse nationwide network of progressive lawyers, law students, judges, scholars, and many others, we work to uphold the Constitution in the 21st Century by ensuring that law is a force for protecting our democracy and the public interest and for improving people’s lives. For more information, visit us at acslaw.org or on Twitter @acslaw.