What Judge Jackson's Historic Nomination Means to Our Students
Our highest courts should reflect our communities. We applaud the news of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic nomination, which shows our future appellate leaders that they too can serve on this country’s highest court.
Once confirmed, Judge Jackson will be the first Black woman, the third Black justice, and the sixth woman to serve on the Supreme Court in its 233-year history. We asked some of our students to share what this pivotal moment means to them.
Harvard Law School, Class of 2024
“I feel incredibly lucky to be a law student while an incredible Black woman and former public defender becomes a part of our nation's highest court. It fills me with hope and excitement for the future of this profession I'll be joining in a short couple of years.”
Ebony Christian
University of Missouri, Columbia, Class of 2024
“Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination is more than historic. It means my voice matters. It represents a beacon of inclusion, unlike anything I've ever seen. For generations past and present, this signifies justice, representation, and the American Dream are possible.”
Javon Davis
Boston College Law School, Class of 2023
“It is encouraging to see that, for the first time, a Black woman will sit on the nation’s highest court. We have seen the impact of rulings that lack perspective and it will be exciting to have a new, much-needed voice on the Supreme Court.”
Juan Dawson, II
Villanova University School of Law, Class of 2022
“The nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court is one that is rooted in the promise of our nation. Judge Jackson’s historic nomination bends the arc further towards justice.”
Brenda Garcia
University of Maryland, Class of 2023
“Sometimes it’s hard to imagine yourself pursuing a certain position when there is no one who looks like you in that position. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination is a reminder that women of color can and should pursue their dreams.”
Abyssinia Lissanu
Yale Law School, Class of 2024
“As a young Black girl, I never dreamed that someone who looked like me could be nominated to the Supreme Court. I’m so excited to see the eminently qualified Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson break glass ceilings— and hopefully, more will follow!”
Jasmine Marchbanks-Owens
Howard University School of Law, Class of 2024
“It wasn't till I enrolled in law school that I truly began to understand the power of the bench and the importance of having representation. I now see the importance of having someone on the bench who understands my experience and so many others’. I have had the privilege of witnessing many firsts, from the first Black president to the first Black Vice President, but witnessing the first Black woman sit on the United States Supreme Court will be the most impactful.”
Jaylin D. McClinton
Chicago-Kent College of Law, Class of 2022
“Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's glass ceiling shattering nomination to the Supreme Court makes clear that diversity, equity, and inclusion matters and will further legitimize the rule of law in a country with a troubled past on race and gender. I am thrilled about this herstory!”
Ayo Osobamiro
NYU School of Law, Class of 2023
“Judge Brown's nomination is meaningful to me because I firmly believe it's a failure of imagination that keeps women of color out of the appellate bar. I hope that once such an intelligent legal jurist, who happens to be a woman of color, is on the national stage, people will start looking for talent in more unexpected places.”
Sarah Pierre
University of Mississippi School of Law, Class of 2023
“Our race should be proud, but our country should be boasting with pride. This should not be viewed as an act of affirmative action, or solely based on the need for diversity on our Court. She is qualified and for that and that alone she is deserving of this nomination.”
Nura Zaki
University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, Class of 2023
"When we acknowledge that there have been highly qualified candidates outside the historical makeup of the Supreme Court, it becomes clear that this deliberate choice of nominating a Black woman is not reductive but expansive. Our imagination for meaningful diversity in the legal profession is being made real at the highest level."
Devontae Torriente
University of Pennsylvania Law School, Class of 2024
“Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination is historic. It sends a clear signal that those of us who have been relegated to the margins of society deserve to take center stage in moving our country, society, and world forward.”
Darryl Williams, Jr.
Howard University School of Law, Class of 2022
“Having a Justice who visually reflects Black women is something. But it is not everything. (Trust me, Black men know this all too well.) Thankfully Judge Brown Jackson will be bringing more than her identity to First Street: things like her childhood as the daughter of educators; her familial ties to HBCUs; her career as a public defender; and most importantly, her recognition of the Black experience. And it is those things—along with her identity—that make me so excited for her confirmation.”