Commonwealth Policy Center

Pres. Biden nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy of Steven Breyer who’s retiring. Jackson is a Circuit Court of Appeals judge whom Biden called a consensus builder with a top legal mind. Biden is fulfilling a campaign promise by appointing a black woman to the nation’s highest court. While this shows that the American dream is open to all without regard to skin color or sex, there are other more important traits to look for in a judge. We should be asking about her commitment to the rule of law and upholding the U.S. Constitution. Senators who’ll vote to confirm should also ask if she’ll practice judicial restraint or simply impose her policy preferences as so many Supreme Court judges have done in the past.