Confirming Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court is a start

But bigger changes are needed to fix SCOTUS

Ketanji Brown Jackson.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock, Library of Congress)

Today marks the beginning of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation hearing for her nomination to the Supreme Court. If confirmed, Jackson — an immensely qualified jurist with experience in both the private and public sectors, and on the federal bench — will be the first Black woman and former public defender to serve on the nation's highest court.

Jackson's historic confirmation hearing takes place at a critical time. In the past two decades, we have watched a conservative Supreme Court defy well-settled constitutional precedent, actively working to dismantle some of our most cherished rights and values. Jackson's confirmation will not change the balance of the court, but her confirmation hearing will provide senators with an opportunity to illuminate how the conservative supermajority has prevented attempts made by the federal government to check corporate abuse and rectify structural racism.

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Shahrzad Shams

Shahrzad Shams is the program manager of the race and democracy program at the Roosevelt Institute. In addition to providing policy research and legal analysis of issues related to racial justice, democracy, the economy, and the courts, she works with the race and democracy team and Roosevelt fellows to ensure a critical racial analysis throughout the think tank's programmatic areas. Shams holds a BA in psychology from The Ohio State University, an MA in public policy, administration, and management from John Glenn College of Public Affairs, and a JD from Moritz College of Law.