Ketanji Brown Jackson gets advice from Harriet Tubman in new SNL cold open
Saturday Night Live celebrated the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson in its newest cold open.
The scene began with Jackson (Ego Nwodim) and President Biden (James Austin Johnson) standing in the Oval Office ahead of Friday's reception for the new justice, who was confirmed Thursday in a 53-47 vote.
"Your speech was terrific Ketanji," Johnson-as-Biden said, stumbling over her name. "Sorry. I mean, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Bet you can't say that three times fast," Nwodim-as-Jackson quipped.
"I'm shocked I was able to say it one time slow," Johnson-as-Biden said, adding that he had fulfilled his campaign promise to appoint a Black woman to the Supreme Court, which means "one campaign promise down and only 74 to go."
"Well, I was happy to do my part," Nwodim-as-Jackson said. "Work twice as hard as a white man my entire life, and then spend a week listening to Ted Cruz call me a pedophile."
Biden then left Jackson alone in the Oval Office, advising her to "feel the weight of history" and "imagine talking to all the great Americans who came before."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Left to her reveries, Jackson conjured up visions of Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg (Kate McKinnon) and Thurgood Marshall (Kenan Thompson), baseball star Jackie Robinson (Chris Redd), and anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman (Punkie Johnson).
"What're we doing in the White House? Did we get in trouble?" the abolitionist asked. Nwodim's Jackson explained that, thanks to the bravery of women like Tubman, she was now a Supreme Court justice.
"I like that," said Tubman.
"I have a seat at the table," added Jackson.
"I like that," said Tubman.
"And I'm going to have this job for the rest of my life!" the new justice concluded.
"Don't like that. Sounds like a trap," said Tubman, adding that Jackson should "light two candles and meet me in the farmhouse at midnight" if she wants out.
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
Rothermere’s Telegraph takeover: ‘a right-leaning media powerhouse’Talking Point Deal gives Daily Mail and General Trust more than 50% of circulation in the UK newspaper market
-
The US-Saudi relationship: too big to fail?Talking Point With the Saudis investing $1 trillion into the US, and Trump granting them ‘major non-Nato ally’ status, for now the two countries need each other
-
Sudoku medium: November 30, 2025The daily medium sudoku puzzle from The Week
-
Memo signals Trump review of 233k refugeesSpeed Read The memo also ordered all green card applications for the refugees to be halted
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
-
Court strikes down Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read The Texas congressional map ordered by Trump is likely an illegal racial gerrymander, the court ruled
-
Trump defends Saudi prince, shrugs off Khashoggi murderSpeed Read The president rebuked an ABC News reporter for asking Mohammed bin Salman about the death of a Washington Post journalist at the Saudi Consulate in 2018
-
Congress passes bill to force release of Epstein filesSpeed Read The Justice Department will release all files from its Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation
-
Trump says he will sell F-35 jets to Saudi ArabiaSpeed Read The president plans to make several deals with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this week
-
Judge blasts ‘profound’ errors in Comey caseSpeed Read ‘Government misconduct’ may necessitate dismissing the charges against the former FBI director altogether
