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U.S. President Joe Biden has nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
The 51-year-old is expected to replace retiring Judge Justice Stephen Breyer in June this year.
When announcing the nomination on Friday, Biden described Jackson as a candidate with an "independent mind, uncompromising integrity, and a strong moral compass."
Later, the 79-year-old wrote in a tweet:
"... [Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson] she is one of our nation's brightest legal minds and will be an exceptional Justice."
It should be noted that Jackson's nomination is awaiting confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Democrats hold the majority in the U.S. Senate by a 50-50 margin. Vice President Kamala Harris serves as the tie-breaker.
With Biden's nomination, Jackson became the first Black woman to be nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court. Confirmation from the U.S. Senate would make her the first Black female Supreme Court judge.
What is known about Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson?
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is currently serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Born in Washington, DC, Jackson grew up in Miami, Florida. She was a model student at Palmetto Junior High, where she was heavily involved in public speech and debate competitions. The Washington, DC native was also the student body president at Miami Palmetto Senior High School.
Jackson graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University. She also graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School.
After graduating from Harvard, Jackson worked as a clerk at many legal government offices in the late 1990s. These include the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. She even served as a law clerk to her predecessor Judge Breyer at the U.S. Supreme Court.
In the early 2000s, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson served as the assistant special counsel to the United States Sentencing Commission. She later worked as a public defense attorney from 2005 to 2007.
In 2009, former U.S. President Barack Obama nominated Judge Jackson for the position of Vice-Chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission. A year later, she was selected for the position.
In 2012, she was once again nominated by Obama to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She reportedly received bipartisan support for her position in 2013.
Last year, Jackson was nominated by Biden to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She was one of the first judicial nominations by Biden. As per the White House's official site:
"Because of her diverse and broad public service, Judge Jackson has a unique appreciation of how critical it is for the justice system to be fair and impartial."
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson currently lives in Washington, DC, with her husband Patrick and two children.
