American Bar Association panel: Ketanji Brown Jackson is 'a great jurist' 'without any biases'
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson received the American Bar Association's top professional rating, and on Thursday, several of the group's leaders appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to explain why she ranked so highly.
The ABA Standing Committee does not recommend judges, but rather rates their qualifications to serve on the federal bench, Bloomberg Law says. To come up with Jackson's ranking, members of the committee interviewed more than 250 judges, lawyers, and other individuals who have interacted with Jackson in the courtroom, and also reviewed writings and public records involving her cases.
Earlier this week, several Republican senators, including Ted Cruz of Texas and Josh Hawley of Missouri, attempted to paint Jackson as being soft on crime, and D. Jean Veta, co-lead evaluator on Jackson's review, dismissed their claims on Thursday. "Notably, no judge, defense counsel, or prosecutor expressed any concern in this regard, and they uniformly rejected any accusations of bias," Veta told the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Subscribe to 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.
Veta said "one high-ranking attorney in the U.S. attorney's office" told reviewers they "vehemently" disagreed with the idea that Jackson is too lenient on offenders, and another prosecutor who has appeared before Jackson several times declared the allegation "absolutely ... not borne out based on my experience with her." Instead, Veta continued, the prosecutors "praised Judge Jackson as a judge who considers all arguments before coming to a decision."
ABA Standing Committee member Joseph Drayton said while interviewing people about Jackson, "we pressed hard, we asked questions of these prosecutors and these defense attorneys." What they learned was that Jackson's "intellect is simply formidable," Veta said. "She possesses all of the other important attributes of a great jurist. She is practical and intuitive and curious and courteous and always impeccably well prepared."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
The hunt for Planet Nine
Under The Radar Researchers seeking the elusive Earth-like planet beyond Neptune are narrowing down their search
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magazine interactive crossword - April 26, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - April 26, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine solutions - April 26, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - April 26, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
How could the Supreme Court's Fischer v. US case impact the other Jan 6. trials including Trump's?
Today's Big Question A former Pennsylvania cop might hold the key to a major upheaval in how the courts treat the Capitol riot — and its alleged instigator
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Mark Menzies: Tories investigate MP after 'bad people' cash claims
Speed Read Fylde MP will sit as an independent while party looks into allegations he misused campaign funds on medical expenses and blackmail pay-out
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Why Johnson won't just pass Ukraine aid
Speed Read The House Speaker could have sent $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine — but it would have split his caucus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of war
Speed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How powerful is Iran?
Today's big question Islamic republic is facing domestic dissent and 'economic peril' but has a vast military, dangerous allies and a nuclear threat
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Trump's first criminal trial starts with jury picks
Speed Read The former president faces charges related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How will Israel respond to Iran's direct attack?
Speed Read Iran’s weekend attack on Israel could escalate into a wider Middle East war
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US, Israel brace for Iran retaliatory strikes
Speed Read An Iranian attack on Israel is believed to be imminent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published