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."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Social Security: Insolvency date keeps getting closer
Feature A new report has projected that Social Security funds could be depleted by 2033
-
Are AI lovers replacing humans?
Talking Points A third of Gen Z singles use tech as a 'romantic companion'
-
What are the Trump Accounts for kids and how do they work?
The Explainer Parents will soon be able to open tax-advantaged investment accounts on their child's behalf
-
US and Japan strike trade deal
Speed Read Trump signed what he's calling the 'largest deal ever made'
-
28 nations condemn Israel's 'inhumane killing' in Gaza
Speed Read Countries including Australia, France, Japan and the U.K. have released a joint statement condemning Israel's ongoing attacks
-
Israeli gunfire kills dozens at Gaza aid site
Speed Read The U.N. estimates that at least 875 Palestinians have died while trying to access food in recent months
-
Rubio says US brokered end to Syria conflict
Speed Read Syria's defense ministry was targeted in Israeli attacks on the capital
-
Trump threatens Russia with 'severe tariffs'
speed read The president also agreed to sell NATO advanced arms for Ukraine
-
IDF blames 'error' for strike on Gaza water line
Speed Read Israeli forces attack Palestinians, including children, collecting water in central Gaza
-
Iran still has enriched uranium, Israeli official says
Speed Read It remains unclear how long it would take Iran to rebuild its nuclear program following US and Israeli attacks
-
Trump U-turns on weapons to Ukraine
Speed Read Unhappy with Putin, Trump decides the US will go back to arming Ukraine against Russia's attacks