The day President Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, my daughter, a college sophomore at Howard University in Washington, D.C., went to the Supreme Court with her friends, and she texted me a picture of them on the steps of the building. I shed a tear of joy.
That image is a reminder that representation matters. We can see what is achievable. And it is important for all of us that our Constitution be interpreted through various lenses.
A common metaphor for America is a melting pot, where cultures disappear into a larger body. A tossed salad is a better comparison. The U.S. has many diverse cultures that maintain their distinctiveness while enriching the whole. On our highest court, it’s so important for the social richness of our country for all cultures to be visible.
Diversity in organizations is always good. Multiple perspectives instill trust in public institutions, including the judicial system. We tend to trust a system when we see ourselves among the decision makers.
Like most of the justices, Judge Jackson is Ivy League educated, a graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Law School. Her career is more distinctive. If confirmed, she would be one of the few justices with experience as a public defender, ensuring indigent defendants have the fair trial promised by the Sixth Amendment. That in itself would be a fresh perspective to the Supreme Court.
Judge Jackson has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate three times, as vice chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, judge on the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia and judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Since her confirmation as judge in 2013, she has authored over 550 opinions, more than four other justices combined.
It’s like she has been training for this moment since law school. It is why I joined Black law school deans throughout the country in signing a letter supporting her nomination and urging a swift, bipartisan confirmation.
Without a doubt, Judge Jackson is eminently qualified, and she is ready for this position. Her credentials and experience are impeccable. But equally important is diversity in our line of sight. Since 1790, all but seven Supreme Court justices have been white men. Thurgood Marshall made history in 1967 as the first Black man appointed; Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman justice in 1981. It is high time a Black woman is represented.
Judge Jackson’s nomination is a deliberate step to ensuring the Supreme Court looks like the country. Her nomination is not just a big deal for Black women. It’s a big deal for America.
Camille Davidson is dean of the Southern Illinois University Carbondale School of Law.
