Getting to Know Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson👩🏿⚖️
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Season 2: Episode 82 Description
In today's episode: 👩🏿⚖️ History was made when President Biden nominated the first Black woman to the US Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson. But who is she? And what exactly does the Supreme Court do? 📜 Ten News Correspondent Pamela Kirkland is here to break it all down for you. ✔️ Fun Fact Check: This court is actually higher than the Supreme Court. 🗞️ In the News: An update on Ukraine and celebrating International Women's Day! And, test your Supreme Court knowledge on today's Trivia on the Ten. ✅
Sources
Biden Introduces Ketanji Brown Jackson, His Supreme Court Pick - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Separation of Powers | Wex | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute (cornell.edu)
Landmark United States Supreme Court Cases (americanbar.org)
The Highest Court In the Land – Washington, D.C. - Atlas Obscura
Ukraine war: Russian shelling prevents evacuations once again - Ukraine - BBC News
U.S. Paralympics star Oksana Masters highlights Ukraine invasion after win (axios.com)
The Court as an Institution - Supreme Court of the United States
Links
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TRANSCRIPT:
Sound Bit 0:00
Mr. President, I am truly humbled by the extraordinary honor of this nomination. And I am especially grateful for the care that you have taken in discharging your constitutional duty in service of our democracy. With all that is going on in the world today.
Bethany Van Delft 0:20
History was made when Joe Biden nominated the first black woman to the US Supreme Court. Ketanji Brown Jackson, but who is she and what exactly does the Supreme Court do? Today we're putting on our robes and breaking it all down for you. I'm Bethany Van Delft. It's Tuesday, March 8th, and this is the Ten News.
Various Voices 0:45
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Bethany Van Delft 0:53
President Biden and his team spent a month deciding who to replace Justice Stephen G. Breyer when he retires. Who was picked? Ketanji Brown Jackson. But who is she and why is she the best person for the job? Here is Ten News political correspondent Pamela Kirkland to tell us about Judge Jackson.
Pamela Kirkland 1:19
That's right. Before she becomes Justice Jackson, let's talk about Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and why she became President Biden's top pick to sit on the Supreme Court of the United States. Judge Jackson was born Ketanji Brown in Washington DC in 1970. But, she actually grew up in Miami, Florida. Both of her parents worked as teachers when she was young. Her mother made her way up to principle and her dad decided he wanted to become a lawyer. He eventually became the lead attorney for the Miami Dade County School Board. Wow. She says watching her dad study his law books at the kitchen table while she was doing her homework and coloring inspired her to want to go to law school too.
Sound Bit 2:13
It was my father who started me on this path when I was a child.
Pamela Kirkland 2:19
She even wrote about her dream in her high school yearbook saying she wanted to study law and eventually become a judge. She did just that. She graduated from college at Harvard and then continued studying at Harvard Law School. After graduation, she worked for different law firms. But one job she took that not many other Supreme Court justices have is as a public defender, what does that mean? A public defender is someone who represents people accused of crimes that can't afford to pay for a lawyer. The last justice with that kind of experience was Thurgood Marshall, who retired in 1991. At 51 years old, Judge Jackson is currently a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. She was nominated to that position by President Biden last year. And the process of getting that job is kind of like what she'll have to go through this time. She was confirmed by the Senate in June by a vote of 53 to 44. Nice. The DC circuit is sometimes compared to the Supreme Court because they hear a lot of really important cases. One of her best-known rulings was back in 2019. When she ruled against former President Trump, Judge Jackson ruled that a former lawyer for the White House had to go testify before Congress. If Jackson is confirmed to be a Supreme Court justice. She'll make history by becoming the first black woman ever to serve on that court. Yes, she'd also be the third black person and the sixth female Supreme Court justice. So what exactly does a Supreme Court justice do a help? Their job is to hear some of the most important cases in the country and use laws that are already written to decide which side makes the better argument. Sometimes the justices agree, sometimes they don't. But the justices on the court are trusted to follow the Constitution and make the best decisions they can and getting a seat on the court isn't easy. The President picks a person to appoint or nominate for the job, then the Senate decides whether they get the job by voting on it, and the majority wins. Okay. Did we mention that the Supreme Court has been around for 233 years and only now could we have The first black woman sitting on the bench? That's unbelievable. President Biden had actually promised to nominate a black woman for the Supreme Court when he was running for president back in 2020. Judge Jackson accepted the President's offer during a phone call.
Sound Bit 5:19
Hello, Judge Jackson. Yes. This is Joe Biden. How are you? I am wonderful. How are you? Mr. President? You're wonderful. I'd like you to go to the Supreme Court. How about that?
Pamela Kirkland 5:34
Judge Jackson has had support from both Democrats and Republicans in the past. President Biden hopes that will help her get through the confirmation process, which can take a while, but they hope the Senate will vote her in by Easter.
Bethany Van Delft 5:51
Thanks, Pamela. It looks like Judge Jackson will face an uphill battle in the run-up to the vote, but her appointment will be historic. What's that you asked? How does the Supreme Court work? And why is it so important? Once the president chooses a new Supreme Court Justice, the Senate must confirm the choice with a vote before the new justice is appointed. It's one of the ways the Founding Fathers created checks and balances for the country. The three federal branches of the government include the President, Congress, and the Supreme Court, all of whom have to work together. No branch of the government is more powerful than another. Excellent. The job of the Supreme Court is to argue and decide cases, they're usually referred to as blank v. blank. So if I took Ryan to court over his silly jokes, hey, no, don't worry, Ryan, I love your jokes. I'm just saying, if I did take you to court over silly jokes, the case would be called Van Delft vs. Willard or Van Delft V. Willard. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the country and takes the cases that were appealed in lower courts, which is when one side doesn't agree with the decision and wants to fight it. They also take cases that are about the Constitution and even arguments between states, the justices on the Supreme Court vote on what cases to hear and their decisions can impact everyday life for Americans. Cool. You've probably heard of some really famous Supreme Court cases like Roe v. Wade, and Brown vs. the Board of Education, people's rights, health care, and education are some of the important things that the Supreme Court makes decisions about, and who are the justices that have this big job. Justices on the Supreme Court are usually experts on the Constitution, and they have experience. Many justices clerked or worked for the Supreme Court before they were appointed. Most justices went to law school and served as federal judges in district courts before they were appointed. The Supreme Court is unique because once justice is appointed, they can serve for the rest of their life, or until they retire like Justice Stephen G. Breyer. I'm a poet and I didn't even know it. Our staff writer Tessa Flannery told me she has a fun fact to share with us. Tessa, what's the tidbit?
Tessa Flannery 8:32
Well, Bethany, as you know, the Supreme Court is considered the highest court in the land because the biggest law decisions are made there. But did you know the Supreme Court building has a gym? The gym is on the fifth floor and has a basketball court. It's the other highest court in the land.
Bethany Van Delft 8:51
Ah, that's a good one, Tessa. Want to go play me one on one while Ryan gives us the rundown?
Ryan Willard 9:06
That's right, Bethany. It is about that time to break forth the rhythm and the rhyme. I'm Ryan Willard. And here is your rundown. The invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces continues. Russia claims it will hold fire in Kiyv and other Ukrainian cities to allow civilians to escape. Though it comes after Ukraine claimed that Russian forces continued to bomb the city during agreed ceasefire hours. This is terrible. Some better news out of Ukraine. Six lions, six tigers, and an African Wild Dog have safely been transported out of Ukraine. The truck on a two-day journey from a sanctuary east of Kiyv escaped the Russian invasion and safely reached Poland to go. Oksana masters. One Team USA is the first gold medal at the Beijing Winter Paralympics competing in the Para-bi-athalon Women's sprint sitting event. Masters was born in Ukraine before immigrating to the United States and paid tribute to Ukraine after her win. Great job. Last but certainly not least, today is International Women's Day, which is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. I'd like to thank the women and girls of planet Earth who have done more cool things than I will ever be able to thank them for. And if you didn't know, the creator of the Ten News, Tracy Leeds Kaplan is a woman. So is our staff writer Tessa Flannery and today's correspondent Pamela Kirkland, and our host, Bethany Van Delft. I mean, the list goes on. But Bethany is waving her hands and telling me I have to wrap it up, or are you telling me I should throw glitter to celebrate International Women's Day? Cause I'll do it. Okay. Back to you, Bethany.
Bethany Van Delft 10:44
Lucky you, it's time for…
Various Voices 10:46
What, what, what's the big idea?
Bethany Van Delft 10:49
Trivia on the Ten. I bet you already knew there are nine Supreme Court justices. But how many justices altogether have served on the Supreme Court since it was first founded in 1789? Is it a) 100, b) 110, or ) 120? Did you guess it? The answer is c) 120 Justices made up of 17 Chief Justices and 103 associate justices have served on the Supreme Court of the United States. When Ketanji Brown Jackson is sworn in she'll make it 121 And she'll be the first black woman appointed. Over the 232 year history of the court. Only seven justices have been women or people of color. Get this more white men named William have served on the court than women and people of color combined. Are you kidding me? One of the many reasons future judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will make history now we're talking. That's all we have for today. But before we go, here's a quick note for the grownups. Thanks for listening to the Ten News. Look out for our new episodes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and extras on Saturdays. The Ten News is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts and is distributed by iHeartRadio. The Ten News creative team is playing basketball at the highest court in the land and includes Tracey Crooks, Pete Musto, Ryan Willard, Adam Barnard, and Tessa Flannery. Pamela Kirkland contributed to this episode. Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle and our executive producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan. I'm Bethany Van Delft, and thanks for listening to the Ten News. Full disclosure. The robe I put on is fuzzy and purple. Is that what justices wear?
