Justice Jackson is the first justice in more than 30 years with significant experience representing criminal defendants. She worked as a public defender. There are currently three ex-prosecutors...
Justice Jackson is the first justice in more than 30 years with significant experience representing criminal defendants. She worked as a public defender.
There are currently three ex-prosecutors sitting currently sitting on the bench.
Prosecutors’ jobs often depend on maintaining good relationships with police which means that prosecutors who become judges bring that experience with them. The extent to which a prosecutor turned judge’s prior professional experience impacts their view of the law has grave implications for regulating law enforcement and holding police accountable for misconduct, including the near impossibility of suing police and prosecutors for civil rights violations under the judge-made doctrine of “qualified immunity.”
Public defenders and civil rights attorneys, by the nature of their professions, are required to consider the impact of the law on everyday people. Their jobs require them to understand the circumstances of marginalized groups and ensure that large institutions do not strip them of their most basic rights. They spend their careers representing these everyday people, hearing what led them to possibly engage in criminal behavior and hearing stories of being falsely accused. They also understand mitigating factors that have led to harm to the individual, their families, and their communities, often because of the government’s failure to meet their basic needs. They spend their careers attempting to convince the government that these individuals are also a part of their community and deserve to be treated with the same respect and dignity.
The Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court on Thursday, shattering a historic barrier by securing her place as the first Black female justice and giving President Joe Biden a bipartisan endorsement for his effort to diversify the high court.
Cheers rang out in the Senate chamber as Jackson, a 51 year-old appeals court judge with nine years experience on the federal bench, was confirmed 53-47, mostly along party lines but with three Republican votes. Presiding and emotionally announcing the vote was Vice President Kamala Harris, also the first Black woman to reach her high office.
“This is a wonderful day, a joyous day, an inspiring day — for the Senate, for the Supreme Court and for the United States of America,” exulted Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. The Senate’s upper galleries were almost full for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic two years ago, and about a dozen House members, part of the the Congressional Black caucus, stood at the back of the chamber.
The NPR variant of the article actually has a nifty chart comparing nomination+confirmation timelines of all the justices going back to Gerald Ford....
The NPR variant of the article actually has a nifty chart comparing nomination+confirmation timelines of all the justices going back to Gerald Ford.
Justice Jackson is the first justice in more than 30 years with significant experience representing criminal defendants. She worked as a public defender.
There are currently three ex-prosecutors sitting currently sitting on the bench.
There Are Too Many Prosecutors On the Bench. Take It From Me, a Prosecutor
That was what, twonor three weeks? I expected a full on battle.
Don't get me wrong I'm happy she got it.
The NPR variant of the article actually has a nifty chart comparing nomination+confirmation timelines of all the justices going back to Gerald Ford.
https://www.npr.org/2022/04/07/1090973786/ketanji-brown-jackson-first-black-woman-supreme-court
Shortest was John Paul Stevens, 19 days. Longest was Robert Bork at 114 days (ultimately not confirmed).
I was actually curious about how the general pacing is for confirmations, so thanks!