By: Grace Katz and Harley Semon

On June 30th of 2022, the U.S. Senate voted 53-47 to inaugurate Ketanji Brown Jackson as a supreme court justice. Jackson was born in Washington D.C and then spent her early childhood in Miami, Florida. Upon graduating high school, she attended Harvard University, which was an incredible feat. Not only is this an extremely prestigious institution, but at the time, the university’s student body was made up of less than 7% of black students. She used her voice, and even as a freshman she confronted a confederate flag displayed on campus. Her success did not end here; after earning her bachelor’s degree in government, she remained on campus for two more years to attend Harvard Law. She has always been an advocate for minorities, which is clearly represented through her senior thesis entitled “The Hand of Oppression”.  

 She started off her career as a law clerk for the Massachusetts District Court. In the following years, she ventured into many different law-related endeavors, which even included working for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the first circuit. As she built up her career even more, President Barack Obama nominated Jackson to be a judge of the U.S. District Court of D.C. Proving herself time and time again, despite all boundaries and obstacles she faced, Ketanji Brown Jackson received a nomination from President Joe Biden in 2022 to serve as a Supreme Court Justice.  This marks history – making her the first black woman to ever be  nominated and sworn into the Supreme Court.