Ketanji Brown Jackson

Ketanji Brown Jackson
Born	Ketanji Onyika Brown 14 9, 1970
Birthplace	Washington, D.C., U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Template:Flatlist
Title	Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Known for	First Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States
Education	Harvard University (BA, JD)
Children	2
Awards	Template:Flatlist

Ketanji Onyika Brown Jackson (née Brown; born September 14, 1970) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Nominated by President Joe Biden on February 25, 2022, and confirmed by the United States Senate later that year, Jackson made history as the first Black woman, the first former federal public defender, and the sixth woman to serve on the nation's highest court. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Miami, Florida, Jackson received both her undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University, where she served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review. She clerked for three federal judges, including Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, whose seat she would ultimately assume. Her career before the bench included stints in private practice, federal public defense, and service as vice chairwoman of the United States Sentencing Commission. Appointed by President Barack Obama to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in 2013, and elevated by President Biden to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 2021, Jackson brought a depth of judicial and legal experience to the Supreme Court that included perspectives from both sides of the courtroom. She is considered part of the Court's liberal wing, alongside Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor.

Early Life

Ketanji Onyika Brown was born on September 14, 1970, in Washington, D.C. Her parents, Johnny and Ellery Brown, were both graduates of historically Black colleges and universities. Her father attended law school and became an attorney for the Miami-Dade County School Board, while her mother served as a school principal. The family relocated to Miami, Florida, when Jackson was young, and she was raised there.

Jackson's name, "Ketanji Onyika," reflects her family's interest in African heritage; the name means "lovely one" in a West African language, according to accounts from her family. Her uncle, Calvin Ross, served as a law enforcement officer, and another uncle had a different trajectory through the criminal justice system — an experience that Jackson has cited as influential in shaping her interest in criminal defense and the justice system more broadly.

Growing up in Miami during the 1970s and 1980s, Jackson attended Miami Palmetto Senior High School, where she was active in debate and oratory competitions. She was a standout member of the school's speech and debate team, competing at the national level and earning recognition for her skills in public speaking. During her high school years, Jackson expressed an early interest in law, reportedly telling her guidance counselor of her ambition to attend Harvard University and pursue a legal career.

Jackson's formative years in Miami exposed her to a diverse, multicultural environment. Her parents, who had themselves lived through the era of segregation and the civil rights movement, instilled in her a strong sense of the importance of education and public service. These values would shape her trajectory through some of the most prominent legal institutions in the United States.

Education

Jackson enrolled at Harvard University for her undergraduate education, graduating magna cum laude in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in government. While at Harvard, she was active in a number of campus organizations and developed an interest in public policy and law.

After completing her undergraduate degree, Jackson returned to Harvard for law school, enrolling at Harvard Law School. During her time there, she served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review, one of the most prestigious law journals in the United States. She also served as a supervising editor of the Harvard Law Review, gaining experience in legal scholarship and editing. Jackson earned her Juris Doctor degree cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1996.

Jackson's dual Harvard education — undergraduate and law — placed her among a select group of legal professionals trained entirely at one of the nation's leading academic institutions. Her time at Harvard also introduced her to networks and mentors who would prove important throughout her legal and judicial career.

Career

Clerkships

Following her graduation from Harvard Law School, Jackson embarked on a series of prestigious federal clerkships that exposed her to multiple levels of the federal judiciary. She first clerked for Judge Patti B. Saris of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts from 1996 to 1997. She then clerked for Judge Bruce M. Selya of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit from 1997 to 1998.

Jackson's most consequential clerkship came during the 1999–2000 Supreme Court term, when she served as a law clerk to Associate Justice Stephen Breyer of the Supreme Court of the United States. This clerkship provided Jackson with firsthand experience in the workings of the nation's highest court and a close working relationship with Justice Breyer — the justice whose seat she would ultimately fill more than two decades later.

Private Practice and Public Service

Between and after her clerkships, Jackson worked in private legal practice. She was an associate at the law firm Morrison & Foerster LLP, where she practiced in the firm's appellate and Supreme Court litigation practice. Her work at the firm included appellate litigation and matters involving regulatory and constitutional law.

Jackson also served as an assistant federal public defender in the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Columbia, where she represented defendants who could not afford legal counsel in federal criminal cases. This experience was notable because it was relatively uncommon among nominees to the federal bench, particularly to the Supreme Court. Jackson's tenure as a public defender gave her direct courtroom experience representing indigent defendants and provided her with a perspective on the criminal justice system that differed from that of most judges and justices, the majority of whom had backgrounds as prosecutors or in corporate law practice.

In addition to her work in private practice and public defense, Jackson served as an assistant special counsel to the United States Sentencing Commission from 2003 to 2005, where she worked on federal sentencing guidelines and policy.

United States Sentencing Commission

In 2010, President Barack Obama appointed Jackson to serve as vice chairwoman of the United States Sentencing Commission, an independent agency within the judicial branch that establishes sentencing policies and practices for the federal courts. She succeeded Rubén Castillo in the role and served from February 12, 2010, through December 2014.

During her tenure as vice chairwoman, Jackson played a key role in the commission's efforts to address disparities in federal sentencing, including issues related to the sentencing guidelines for drug offenses. The commission during this period undertook significant retroactive amendments to the federal sentencing guidelines, affecting the sentences of thousands of federal inmates. Jackson's work on the commission deepened her expertise in sentencing policy, an area that would feature prominently in discussions during her subsequent judicial confirmation hearings.

United States District Court

On September 20, 2012, President Barack Obama nominated Jackson to serve as a judge on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, to the seat vacated by Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr. She was confirmed by the United States Senate and received her judicial commission on March 26, 2013.

As a district court judge, Jackson presided over a wide range of civil and criminal cases in one of the most prominent federal trial courts in the country. The District of Columbia district court frequently handles cases involving the federal government, executive agencies, and matters of national significance. Jackson served on this court for more than eight years, building a substantial record of judicial decisions.

Among her notable rulings during her time on the district court were cases involving executive power, congressional oversight, and administrative law. Jackson's district court decisions demonstrated a willingness to rule against the government in cases where she found legal merit in the opposing party's arguments, a pattern that drew attention from legal commentators and analysts.

Jackson also maintained an active presence in the legal community during her years on the district bench. She participated in Shakespeare Theatre Company mock trial events in Washington, D.C., serving as a judge in theatrical re-imaginings of legal disputes drawn from literary and historical works. These events, which featured prominent judges and attorneys in staged legal proceedings based on Shakespeare plays and other works, reflected Jackson's engagement with the intersection of law and public education.

In 2016, Jackson's name surfaced in media reports as a potential nominee for the Supreme Court following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, though President Obama ultimately nominated Merrick Garland for the vacancy.

United States Court of Appeals

On March 30, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Jackson to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, often regarded as the second most powerful court in the federal system. She was nominated to fill the vacancy created by the elevation of Merrick Garland to the position of United States Attorney General. Jackson was confirmed by the Senate and received her commission on June 17, 2021. She succeeded Garland on the court and served until June 29, 2022, when she departed to join the Supreme Court. Her successor on the D.C. Circuit was Florence Y. Pan.

Jackson's tenure on the appellate court was brief — just over one year — but it provided her with experience in appellate decision-making that complemented her extensive trial court experience.

Supreme Court of the United States

On January 27, 2022, Justice Stephen Breyer announced his intention to retire from the Supreme Court at the end of the 2021–2022 term. President Biden, who had pledged during his presidential campaign to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court, nominated Jackson on February 25, 2022.

Jackson's confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee took place in March 2022 and were closely watched. The hearings featured extensive questioning on her judicial philosophy, her record as a district and appellate court judge, her sentencing decisions in criminal cases, and her work on the Sentencing Commission. The proceedings were at times contentious, with members of the committee divided along partisan lines on several issues raised during questioning.

The Senate confirmed Jackson on April 7, 2022, by a vote of 53–47, with three Republican senators — Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Mitt Romney of Utah — joining all fifty Democratic caucus members in voting for confirmation. Jackson was sworn into office on June 30, 2022, immediately following the official retirement of Justice Breyer, making her the 116th justice of the Supreme Court and the first Black woman to serve in that capacity.

On the Supreme Court, Jackson has been identified as part of the Court's liberal wing, alongside Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. In her early terms, she has authored opinions and dissents across a range of legal issues, including administrative law, criminal justice, and constitutional interpretation. Jackson has been noted for her active questioning during oral arguments, a style consistent with her reputation as a thorough and engaged jurist.

In recent terms, Jackson has drawn attention for her approach to in forma pauperis petitions — requests by individuals who cannot afford court fees to proceed without payment. Reporting in 2026 noted that Jackson has repeatedly broken with the Court's majority on such matters, often writing or joining dissents when the majority denies these petitions. This pattern reflects her background as a former public defender and her attention to issues of access to justice for indigent litigants.

Jackson has also been a participant in significant constitutional rulings during her tenure. In 2026, she was part of the liberal minority that voted to strike down certain global tariffs imposed by the executive branch, with reporting noting that Jackson referenced an 85-year-old legal document in her analysis of the case.

Personal Life

Ketanji Brown Jackson is married to Patrick G. Jackson, a surgeon. The couple has two daughters. Patrick Jackson is a graduate of Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons and practices medicine in the Washington, D.C., area.

Jackson has been involved in community and educational activities outside her judicial duties. She served as a member of the Harvard Board of Overseers from 2016 to 2022, contributing to governance of her alma mater during a period that included her nomination to the Supreme Court. She has also served on the board of trustees of Georgetown Day School, a private school in Washington, D.C.

Jackson has spoken publicly about the significance of her appointment and the role of representation in the judiciary. In appearances at universities and public events, she has reflected on her personal journey and the challenges she has faced throughout her career.

In February 2026, Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee called for an investigation into Jackson's attendance at the Grammy Awards, raising questions about judicial ethics and the propriety of justices attending high-profile entertainment events.

Recognition

Jackson's appointment to the Supreme Court was recognized as a historic milestone. She is the first Black woman, the first former federal public defender, and the sixth woman overall to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Her confirmation was covered extensively in national and international media, and her swearing-in ceremony on June 30, 2022, was watched by millions.

Since joining the Court, Jackson has been invited to speak at numerous academic and public institutions. In September 2025, she appeared at the University of Virginia School of Law, where she reflected on her historic journey to the Supreme Court and discussed her career in a conversation that received a standing ovation from attendees. She also spoke at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, a historically Black university, in September 2025. In November 2025, Jackson visited the University of Mississippi, where she shared her personal journey and discussed her memoir with students.

Jackson's participation in Shakespeare Theatre Company mock trials and other public legal education events prior to her Supreme Court appointment also brought her recognition within the Washington, D.C., legal and arts communities.

Legacy

Ketanji Brown Jackson's appointment to the Supreme Court marked a significant moment in the history of the American judiciary. As the first Black woman to serve on the Court, her elevation addressed a representation gap that had persisted for the entirety of the institution's existence since its founding in 1789. Her appointment was the culmination of a career that spanned public defense, private practice, federal sentencing policy, and service on two federal courts prior to the Supreme Court.

Jackson's background as a former federal public defender distinguished her from virtually all prior Supreme Court justices, the vast majority of whom had come from backgrounds in prosecution, corporate law, or government legal positions. Her experience representing indigent defendants in federal criminal cases brought to the Court a perspective on the criminal justice system that had been largely absent from its deliberations. This background has been evident in her approach to cases involving criminal procedure, sentencing, and access to the courts.

Her tenure on the Sentencing Commission, where she worked on federal sentencing guidelines and disparities, added a policy dimension to her judicial experience that complemented her courtroom background. Jackson's career trajectory — from public defender to sentencing commission vice chair to district judge to appellate judge to Supreme Court justice — represented one of the most varied professional paths taken to the highest court.

As a member of the Court's liberal wing, Jackson's opinions and dissents in her early terms have contributed to ongoing debates about the scope of executive power, access to justice, administrative law, and constitutional interpretation. Her active engagement during oral arguments and her willingness to write separately in cases where she disagrees with the majority have established her as a distinct voice on the Court.