WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) congratulates Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on her historic appointment and confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court. As the first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Brown Jack’s appointment by President marks a significant and long overdue milestone for our country.
Judge Brown Jackson will take her seat on the Court in October at the end of the current term when Justice Steven Breyer retires.
Judge Brown Jackson has had a distinguished career, most recently serving as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She is the first and only justice to be appointed to the high Court with experience as a public defender. Her record demonstrates a fair-minded approach to justice and a proven willingness to thoughtfully consider cases that come before her concerning the civil and human rights of people who have historically been denied equal treatment under the law.
Judge Brown Jackson also brings admirable humility to the Court. On reflecting upon the long arc and trajectory of her own calling to serve she remarked:
“There are also women I have never met but who are recorded in the pages of history and whose lives and struggles inspire me and thousands of other working women to keep putting one foot in front of another every day.”
NASW CEO Angelo McClain, PhD, LICSW
“Her appointment shows that new achievements, no matter how difficult, are still possible. She has created a new path forward and will be held in a place of esteem by countless future generations.”
NASW President Mildred "Mit" Joyner, DPS, MSW, LCSW
“Today NASW congratulates Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who shattered another glass ceiling and is now the first Black women who will ascend to the highest court in this nation as the 116th Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. A Washington, D.C. resident who graduated from Harvard University and Harvard Law School, was editor of the Harvard Law Review, and selected for three clerkships that included one with Associate Justice Stephen Byer. Judge Brown Jackson also sat on the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, and then was elevated to U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. She has impeccable credentials, and is extremely competent and well qualified. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is worthy of this presidential appointment due to her hard work, determination, and commitment to bend the arc of justice towards equity for all."