Opinion: Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is the obvious choice for new Supreme Court Justice

History was made when Presidential Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson appeared in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee this past week. She is the first Black woman in the history of the United States to appear before the Judiciary Committee, and if her nomination gets confirmed, she will be the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. 

Judge Jackson is more than qualified to sit on the Supreme Court. She graduated summa cum laude from Harvard Law School, spent eight years as a judge on the U.S District Court for the District of Columbia, and was confirmed to the U.S Court of Appeals for the D.C circuit just last year (Newsweek).

Among those accomplishments, she worked from 2005-2007 as the assistant public defender in Washington, D.C. If she gets confirmed, she will be the first Supreme Court Justice since Thurgood Marshall with experience in criminal defense in her extensive resume, and would be the only justice on the court who worked on the U.S Sentencing Commission (Newsweek).

Judge Jackson’s impressive career has not only caught the attention of President Barack Obama and President Joe Biden, but also of The American Bar Association, who gave her its highest rating. The Standing Committee, in unanimous agreement, deemed her “well qualified” to serve on the Supreme Court (Newsweek). 

The Senate has no reason not to approve her. Her addition to the Supreme Court would bring a fresh, educated, and most important, new perspective to the Supreme Court. 

The republican Senators attempts to discredit her through criticisms of how she ruled past law cases and by waving children’s books around trying to trap her into saying babies are racist, just exemplifies the smart, eloquent Judge that she is. 

Her level-headed responses and ability to remain cool under the constant barrage of questions shows exactly why she deserves a spot on the Supreme Court. 

Judge Jackson’s monumental steps are not only an accomplishment for her, but a gain for the rest of us also. She showed that all women can be great, and that nothing is out of reach, for anyone.

No matter if she gets confirmed or not, you can consider this glass ceiling shattered.