This is traditionally the quiet season for the U.S. Supreme Court. With its term concluded, the Justices typically disperse across the country — and the globe — attending legal conferences, delivering lectures, teaching courses and engaging in professional gatherings. These summer appearances are almost always held in friendly environments, and the discussions tend to stay within safe, uncontroversial territory: legal theory, court operations and the historical evolution of jurisprudence.

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July 15, 2025

This is traditionally the quiet season for the U.S. Supreme Court. With its term concluded, the Justices typically disperse across the country — and the globe — attending legal conferences, delivering lectures, teaching courses and engaging in professional gatherings. These summer appearances are almost always held in friendly environments, and the discussions tend to stay within safe, uncontroversial territory: legal theory, court operations and the historical evolution of jurisprudence.

So it came as little surprise that Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s appearance at an Indianapolis Bar Association event generated minimal national news. For most of the event, she followed the usual script, offering insights that were thoughtful but not headline-making. That changed, however, when an interviewer posed a more personal question: What keeps you up at night?

After a brief pause, Justice Jackson gave an unusually candid — if carefully worded — response...

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