She will be the first African-American woman to serve on the Supreme Court. At 51, Ketanji Brown Jackson was nominated by Joe Biden, who made the commitment during the presidential campaign. “It’s time we had a court that reflects all the talents and greatness of our nation,” said the US president. The voluntary departure of Judge Stephen Breyer made this historic decision possible. The Senate has yet to confirm this choice. It is likely that elected Republicans will multiply the obstructions. But they will certainly not take the risk of permanently blocking the appointment of the first African-American woman to the most powerful judicial institution in the country.
Former assistant to Judge Breyer, between 1999 and 2000, Ketanji Brown Jackson is currently a judge with the federal district court for the District of Columbia, a position for which she had been confirmed by the Senate with 53 votes (including 3 Republicans) against 44 She is considered a “progressive” who sees the Constitution as a living text, in opposition to the conservative “originalists”, now in the majority on the Supreme Court. “I just hope that my life, my career, my love of country and the Constitution, and my commitment to the rule of law and the sacred principles on which this nation was built, will inspire future generations of Americans, she said during the ceremony formalizing her appointment last Friday at the White House.