When Indian-origin Kamala Harris was sworn in as the US Vice President last year, it was one of the biggest events of the year across the world. This year, the name of another black woman, Ketanji Brown Jackson, is going to be recorded in the pages of history as the first judge of the US Supreme Court.
Jackson (51) has been a judge of the Court of Appeals on the Federal Bench for nine years. The US Senate voted 53 to 47, making way for Jackson to reach the Supreme Court judge’s chair. Although members voted in line with their party line, three Republican members voted in favor of Jackson.
It was a historic occasion for the people of the black community who have been fighting for their rights around the world for centuries because at the time of voting, Vice President Kamala Harris was the presiding officer, the first black woman to reach this position. During a four-day Senate hearing last month over the appointment, Judge Jackson recalled the days of his parents’ struggle against apartheid and said that as a black American after civil rights laws came into force. But his path became clearer.
Educated at Howard School, Jackson has worked as a public prosecutor. She has served in a private law firm and has been a member of the US Penal Commission. Congratulating him on his achievement, US Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted: “Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson made history today. She is the heroine of countless people of our country.
“It’s a wonderful day, a joyous day, an inspirational day for the Senate, for the Supreme Court and for the whole of America,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said after Jackson’s victory in the vote. Born on September 14, 1970, in Washington, Jackson has been a federal judge in the Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia Circuit.
The son of Ellery Brown and Jani Brown, Jackson attended Miami Palmetto Senior High School, Howard University and Howard Law School, and is known in America as a learned jurist and his journey to the top court judge. Not only America, but will inspire millions of people around the world.
Jackson’s parents taught in a government school. Jackson said in a lecture in 2017 that his parents were proud to be black. Jackson’s husband is a doctor. He has two daughters. He had said that it is part of his family’s principles to respect everyone and that “we should try to do the best we can in whatever we do”.