On Feb. 25, President Joe Biden made a historic nomination when he chose Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to be on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Should the U.S. Senate approve her, Jackson will be the first Black woman to serve on the country's highest judicial body.
LGBTQ+ organizations hailed Biden's move.
GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said, "With newly-appointed conservative Justices likely to willfully use the Court to roll back hard-fought rights, the nomination of Judge Jackson is long overdue representation exactly where it is needed most, especially for the most marginalized in our country."
"Judge Jackson is brave, thoughtful, and a fierce defender of justice," said National Center for Lesbian Rights Executive Director Imani Rupert-Gordon. "Above all else, she is eminently qualified and will be a stalwart protector of our democratic institutions at a time when we need it the most. Her experience as a public defender will bring a perspective to the court that will benefit every person in the United States. And as the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, Judge Jackson's confirmation will be a powerful reflection of the diversity of our country."
Equality California Executive Director Tony Hoang said, "An eminently qualified Black woman committed to equal justice for all, Judge Jackson will bring a powerful perspective and a wealth of legal knowledge to the nation's highest court. Her strong record of protecting the civil rights of vulnerable communities, in particular, underscores Judge Jackson's commitment to upholding the law and working to create a world that is healthy, just and fully equal for all LGBTQ+ peopleand for the diverse communities to which we belong."
And National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund Executive Director Kierra Johnson stated, "Diversity on the bench matters. … Our nation's highest court bench must reflect the diverse people of this country. The nomination and the confirmation of a well-qualified Black woman jurist to the Supreme Court is long overdue. Though not taught to us in schools, Black women jurists have long served with distinction on our nation's court benches. White supremacy and the intertwined biases of racism and sexism have led 45 U.S. presidents to fail to ever nominate a Black woman for the Supreme Court. Today, that changed."
Jackson received her commission as a United States circuit judge in June 2021. From 2013 until 2021, she served a United States district judge and, until December 2014, she also was a vice chair and commissioner on the United States Sentencing Commission. Jackson received a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1996, where she served as a supervising editor of the Harvard Law Review. She received an A.B., magna cum laude, in government from Harvard-Radcliffe College in 1992.