Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson Deserves a Swift Confirmation to the Supreme Court
By Leslie Fields | Sierra Magazine | Reading time: 3 minutes
The fight for equity, democracy, and a livable planet are interconnected. The decision on the next Supreme Court justice will shape the direction of our country for generations and will determine whether the promises enshrined in our bedrock environmental laws and Constitution have continued vitality.
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court is historic, but also long overdue. Judge Jackson is the first Black woman to be nominated to the high court and will be the fourth person of color and would be the sixth woman ever to serve as a Justice once confirmed. She is an exceptional, highly-respected jurist and nominee who will bring a range of experiences and a new, much-needed perspective to the nation’s highest Court – she deserves a swift confirmation by the Senate.
The American people need a Supreme Court that is composed of justices who are fair, even-handed, and thoughtful, and that reflect our nation – and Judge Jackson is exceptionally qualified and reflects each of those components. Supreme Court justices must also recognize the government’s obligation to protect public health and the environment, protect the public’s right to access the courts to hold government and industries accountable, and clearly distinguish between facts and politics.
Our planet faces grave danger, and we require a Justice like Judge Jackson who understands and accepts the science and congressional design animating environmental laws. The Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and other public health and environmental statutes have provided the foundation for vast improvements in the well-being of the American public for over fifty years. The health of our communities and our climate depend on the Supreme Court continuing to respect these central statutory charters, and the government’s obligation and ability to faithfully use them to protect the American people. Environmental laws are ultimately only as strong as the judges who uphold them. Those laws are especially critical to remedying our nation’s history of environmental racism, which has systematically poisoned communities of color and low-income communities with toxic air and water.
Judge Jackson will bring a unique perspective to the Court, not only as the first Black woman ever to serve on it, but her past work as a public defender and serving on the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Her record of thorough and carefully reasoned decision-making indicates she understands the government’s duty and authority to protect the public and the courts’ crucial role in holding powerful interests accountable.
Judge Jackson’s record is impressive: she has more judicial experience than four of the current justices combined, including two of the four newest judges. She has backing from liberal and conservative judges, including the support of several conservative judges appointed by the Bush administration.
Notably, Judge Jackson has just a two percent reversal rate: of her nearly 600 rulings, only 14 have been overturned. That rate is two-thirds lower than average for other judges on the DC Circuit (6 percent) and more than one-half lower than all federal judges (5 percent). Her record speaks to the quality of her jurisprudence and understanding of the law and it is clear that as a justice, she will ensure equal justice for every single one of us, uphold the values of our Constitution and keep faith with the letter and spirit of the nation’s bedrock public health, environmental, civil rights, and labor laws.
Judge Jackson has been confirmed by the Senate with bipartisan support three times in the past. She again must – and should – be swiftly confirmed by the Senate so that our country’s highest court will finally be one important step closer to representing and reflecting all Americans.