Supreme Court nominee was a Jurist-in-Residence at the University of Utah in 2019

President Joe Biden and Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on Friday. Photo: The White House

SALT LAKE CITY — On Friday, President Joe Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court, following Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement announcement.

If confirmed, Judge Jackson would be the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court — a milestone Biden promised to meet during the debates leading up to the 2020 election.

“A former clerk for Justice Breyer, Judge Jackson has broad experience across the legal profession – as a federal appellate judge, a federal district court judge, a member of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, an attorney in private practice, and as a federal public defender. Judge Jackson has been confirmed by the Senate with votes from Republicans as well as Democrats three times,” a White House press release states.

In 2019, Judge Jackson was a Jurist-in-Residence at the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law. She also served as a guest judge at the Traynor Moot Court Competition.

 

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“I can only hope that my life and career, my love of this country and the Constitution, and my commitment to upholding the rule of law and the sacred principles upon which this great nation was founded will inspire future generations of Americans,” Judge Jackson said Friday.

According to The New York Times, few Republicans are likely to back Jackson’s nomination. The split Senate means Democrats only need one Republican vote; however, Vice President Kamala Harris could break a 50-50 tie.

Despite being one of the only members of the GOP to vote for Jackson when she was confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals last year, Senator Lindsay Graham did not express his support.

I expect a respectful but interesting hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The Harvard-Yale train to the Supreme Court continues to run unabated.

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) February 25, 2022