John,
Today, President Biden made good on his promise to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court. [1] Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, if confirmed, will become only the seventh SCOTUS justice to have an identity that is not white and male. [2]
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson comes from a deep bench of extremely qualified Black women ready to serve. We are proud to stand with her on this historic occasion.
Judge Jackson brings her own unique experiences and history to the court, including her time as a public defender and her role as commissioner on the U.S. Sentencing Commission, an independent agency of the judicial branch of the federal government responsible for articulating Federal Sentencing Guidelines for the federal courts. [3]
Despite this, Judge Jackson’s historic nomination process is already, unfortunately, tainted with disgusting, racist, sexist, and vile remarks – with false claims that the nominee would be supposedly “unqualified” [4] or a somehow “lesser” option. [5]
We unequivocally reject these offensive attacks and stand firm. It is beyond time for a Black woman to serve on the court and we demand a swift and fair hearing for Jackson. She must be confirmed without delay.
Smear campaigns against women of color nominated to the Supreme Court began with Justice Sotomayor’s nomination [6] and continue today. Let us be clear, this is not about qualifications to them, this is who they are and what they believe.
Let’s show them who we are: we support Black women. We show up for Black women. We believe in representative democracy and know it is long overdue for a Black women to serve on the highest court in the land.
Cordially,
Erin Matson
Executive Director, Reproaction
P.S. Please consider donating to Black-led organizations that have been working tirelessly for decades to bring us to this historic and joyful day. The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, which convenes the Black Women’s Roundtable, is led by Melanie Campbell and is a great place to start.
