02/28/2022
Biden picks Ketanji Brown Jackson as historic Supreme Court nominee
President Joe Biden on Friday nominated federal appeals court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, making her the first black woman selected to serve on a court that once declared her race unworthy of citizenship and endorsed segregation. If confirmed by the Senate, Jackson would be the current court's second Black justice — Justice Clarence Thomas, a conservative, is the other — and just the third in history. She also would be one of two justices who served as a trial court judge and the only former public defender.
■Class discussion: What do you think of the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court? Is it important to have a top court that “looks like America?” Why or why not? Are you impressed by Jackson’s background – honors graduate from Harvard and Harvard Law, Supreme Court clerk, public defender and judge in federal district court and appeals court? Do you think she is qualified for the job? Why might some senators oppose her confirmation? Would her confirmation materially change the conservative slant of the Supreme Court?