For Immediate Release

April 7, 2022

Jennifer Andrew | Equality NC | jennifer@equalitync.org

Nate Fischer | Equality NC | nate@equalitync.org

Raleigh – Today, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm, in a vote of 53-47, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court. A brilliant and experienced legal mind, Justice Jackson will be the first Black woman ever to serve on the nation's highest court. She is the most qualified nominee in history and brings a critical and fresh perspective to our country's highest legal body.

This afternoon, Kendra R. Johnson, Executive Director of Equality North Carolina, released the following statement:

Today we join the nation in celebrating Justice Jackson's trailblazing and historic confirmation to the Supreme Court. We're thrilled to witness such a qualified and gifted justice bring her strengths to bear in the Supreme Court. Join Equality NC in welcoming this powerful and brilliant advocate to our nation's highest court.

Judge Jackson has extensive and diverse legal experience. In addition to her sterling legal credentials, including a degree from Harvard Law and a Supreme Court clerkship, Judge Jackson has several crucial and unusual experiences which make her supremely qualified for this court seat. She is the only justice on the Supreme Court to have served as a public defender, working to protect vulnerable defendants in the Court of Appeals for the D.C. circuit. In addition to Justice Jackson's work as a public defender, her work as a pro bono practitioner and trial court judge add to her valuable knowledge. She joins Justice Sotomayor as the only sitting justice to have experience working as a district judge and is one of the most experienced trial court judges to join the Supreme Court. Additionally, Justice Jackson attended public high schools, giving her important insight that is especially germane in this political moment.

Although Judge Jackson has not directly ruled on cases involving LGBTQ rights, she has issued several remarks that provide critical insight into her character and beliefs including linking the history of civil rights to the fight for LGBTQ+ equality. Equality NC enthusiastically supports her confirmation because we know Justice Jackson will advance lived equality by deliberating on cases before her with a well-informed open-mindedness and strong dedication to justice.

We welcome a voice like Ketanji Brown Jackson on the Supreme Court. Although she won't be in the court's majority – at least not yet – her perspective will influence the jurisprudence of all members of the court, and she will be a powerful advocate for equality. At only 51 years old, Justice Jackson looks forward to a long and impactful career on the Supreme Court and will have important influence for many years to come.

###

Equality North Carolina builds LGBTQ+ power through advocacy, education, and uplifting the stories of queer and trans North Carolinians in pursuit of racial and social justice. www.equalitync.org