Today, the United States Senate confirmed the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court in a bipartisan 53-47 vote. Justice Jackson becomes the first Black woman ever to sit on the nation’s highest court.
In response to today’s vote, Janai S. Nelson, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), issued the following statement:
“Congratulations to Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and her family on her historic, bipartisan confirmation to the United States Supreme Court. Her exemplary credentials combined with her temperament and character made her one of the most qualified Supreme Court nominees in recent history. She will bring to the Court a much-needed perspective on the lived experiences of all Americans, especially those living in our most marginalized communities.
“Justice Jackson follows in the footsteps of former LDF attorney Constance Baker Motley, the first Black woman to serve as a federal judge, and LDF founder Thurgood Marshall, the first Black person to ever serve as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court. As was the case with Judge Motley and Justice Marshall, Justice Jackson’s ascension to the Supreme Court should be a source of great pride and inspiration for our nation. It is an important step toward advancing full representation in our judiciary and racial justice in America.”
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Founded in 1940, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the nation’s first civil and human rights law organization. LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Follow LDF on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
