First Black Woman Nominated to Supreme Court in Historic Moment
This historic, long-overdue nomination is a critical step toward a multiracial, inclusive democracy.
NEW YORK — Demos President Taifa Smith Butler issued the following statement on President Joseph Biden’s historic nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court:
“This historic, long-overdue nomination is a critical step toward a multiracial, inclusive democracy. As both the first Black woman and the first public defender nominated to the Supreme Court, Judge Jackson is a remarkable nominee with an unprecedented combination of personal and professional experience.
“No nominee since Justice Thurgood Marshall — who was nominated in 1967 — has had this level of criminal defense experience. She has more trial court experience than any other justice in the last century and will be only the second sitting justice with experience at all three levels of the federal judiciary. President Biden couldn’t have picked a more qualified, more promising nominee, and the Senate must move quickly to consider and confirm Judge Jackson to the Supreme Court.
“Democracy — and the ‘equal justice under the law’ it promises — requires that we have leaders committed to civil rights, voting rights, and racial justice in our highest institutions. Judge Jackson is an inspiring choice for the Supreme Court, and her confirmation will be an enormous credit to the Court and to our country. We look forward to swift confirmation and to Justice Jackson on the Court.”