SCOTUS Confirmation Process

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court

ACS > SCOTUS Confirmation Process

Overview

ACS is overjoyed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic and bipartisan confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Jackson is one of the most eminently qualified and talented jurists to be confirmed to our highest court, and she will make an excellent justice who is committed to fairness, impartiality, and equal justice for all.

The Supreme Court should reflect the diversity of the public it serves. And yet, to the collective detriment of the Court and our country, it never has. Throughout the country’s history, our highest court has been occupied by ubiquitously white and male justices with only five women and three people of color having been permitted to deliberate on cases that carry significant implications for our constitutional rights and daily lives. As the first Black woman and former public defender to serve on the Supreme Court, Judge Jackson’s confirmation is a critical and long overdue step towards diversifying the Court. She will bring a perspective never before included in the Court’s deliberations and will help the Court better understand the law’s effects on people’s rights and lives.

Judge Jackson will fill the seat of Justice Stephen Breyer, who will retire at the end of the Supreme Court’s current term. Justice Breyer’s 27-year tenure on the Supreme Court and his 14 years of service on the First Circuit Court of Appeals were marked by the characteristics that define a thoughtful jurist of great intellect and integrity. ACS was grateful for his appearance at our 2017 national convention and hopes he will continue to share his wisdom with us in what we know will be a productive retirement.

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Programs & Podcasts

Broken Law Podcast Episode 45: Celebrating Judge Jackson’s Confirmation

We are celebrating the historic and bipartisan confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as the 116th Supreme Court Justice. Zinelle October, ACS executive vice president, speaks with Danielle Holley-Walker, Dean and Professor of Law of Howard Law School, and Russ Feingold, ACS president, about the significance of Judge Jackson’s confirmation, while underscoring the Supreme Court’s continued legitimacy crisis and need for reform. They also look back at those public hearings and the need for accountability over the despicable and racist behavior exhibited by certain senators.

Broken Law Podcast Episode 37: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the Senate Confirmation Process

Supreme Court confirmations are headlining events, driving the news cycle and consuming the Senate’s attention. But just what does the confirmation process look like behind the scenes? Beyond the TV cameras of the public hearing, what goes into putting a justice on the Supreme Court? ACS Senior Advisor for Communications and Strategy Jeanne Hruska talks this week with ACS President Russ Feingold, who voted on six Supreme Court justices during his tenure in the U.S. Senate, about the norms, the politics, and ideas for reform of the Senate confirmation process.

The Legacy (and Court) Justice Breyer Will Leave Behind
What does Justice Stephen Breyer’s impending retirement means for the Supreme Court and the country? Join ACS for a discussion of the defining moments of his time on the Court, what to expect in the coming nomination process, and the challenges that will continue to make Court reform imperative regardless of who succeeds Justice Breyer.

Speakers: Russ Feingold, President, American Constitution Society; Olatunde Johnson, Jerome B. Sherman Professor of Law, Columbia Law School; Ajay Kundaria, former Chief Counsel to Senator Amy Klobuchar, Senate Judiciary Committee; Farah Peterson, Professor of Law, University of Chicago Law School and former Law Clerk for Justice Stephen Breyer; Jill Dash, Vice President of Strategic Engagement, American Constitution Society, Moderator

Supreme Court Nomination: What’s Next?
Join ACS for a discussion on the historic nomination of the first Black woman to the United States Supreme Court, including how the confirmation process will unfold, what this groundbreaking nomination may mean for the Court, and insight into Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and her time on the bench.

Speakers: Rachel Barkow, Vice Dean and Charles Seligson Professor of Law, New York University School of Law; Danielle Holley-Walker, Professor of Law and Dean, Howard University School of Law; Jeremy Paris, Principal, The Raben Group; Zinelle October, Executive Vice President, American Constitution Society, Moderator

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