# Ketanji Brown Jackson Associate Justice of the Supreme Court since 2022, the first Black woman to serve on the Court. Appointed by [[Joe Biden]] to replace Stephen Breyer. Jackson is the newest member of the liberal minority and brings the only public defender experience on the current Court — a perspective that distinguishes her approach to criminal justice cases from every other sitting justice. ## Background Born September 14, 1970, in Washington, D.C., raised in Miami. Harvard College (AB 1992, magna cum laude), Harvard Law School (JD 1996, cum laude, editor of the Harvard Law Review). Law clerk to Judge Patti Saris (D. Mass.), Judge Bruce Selya (First Circuit), and Justice Stephen Breyer (Supreme Court). Career highlights: Private practice at Goodwin Procter, Assistant Special Counsel to the U.S. Sentencing Commission (2003–2005), federal public defender in Washington D.C. (2005–2007 — the only current justice with public defender experience), Sentencing Commission vice chair (2010–2014), Judge on the U.S. District Court for D.C. (appointed by Obama, 2013–2021), Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (appointed by Biden, 2021–2022). Confirmed to the Supreme Court 53–47 in April 2022, with three Republican votes (Collins, Murkowski, Romney). Her confirmation hearing was marked by Republican attacks, including Senator [[Ted Cruz]]'s questioning about critical race theory in elementary school curricula. ## Role on the Current Court Jackson has written notable dissents and concurrences in her early tenure: - **Students for Fair Admissions dissent (2023):** Wrote an extensive dissent defending affirmative action, arguing that the majority's "colorblind" framework ignored the reality of structural racism - **Joined Sotomayor's [[Trump v. United States]] dissent (2024)** At 55, Jackson is the second-youngest justice on the Court and, barring unexpected developments, will serve well into the 2040s or beyond. ## See Also - [[Supreme Court of the United States]] — The institution where she serves as the newest liberal voice - [[Ruth Bader Ginsburg]] — The legacy of representation on the Court