Murray, NEB – The United States Supreme Court may look a little different next month. President Biden and Congressional Democrats say it will look a little more like America. That is because, for the first time in history, an African American woman has been nominated for the nation’s highest court. For four days, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee reviewed the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson. Brown Jackson was nominated on Feb. 25, 2022 to fill the seat of current Justice Breyer pending his retirement from the court.

Brown Jackson served as Vice President of the U.S. Sentencing Commission under President Obama where she was tasked with evaluating sentencing guidelines for federal crimes. One specific item she evaluated was the disparity in sentencing between those convicted of possession of crack cocaine or possession of powder cocaine. The former of which is more common in communities with lower socio-economic status and people of color.

Brown Jackson was later nominated and confirmed by the Senate to serve as the District Court judge for the District of Columbia. Just last year, President Biden nominated her and she was confirmed to serve as a judge on the Circuit Court for the District of Columbia. She graduated from Harvard Law School and now sits on its board.

Brown Jackson’s qualifications have not generally been questioned by Senators, Republicans and Democrats. Instead Democrats have focused on amplifying the symbolic power of forming a court that is more diverse. Republicans have focused on questioning Brown Jackson on the topics of Critical Race Theory, gender identity, abortion, and past setencings.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will now vote on whether to advance her nomination to the full Senate. A vote in the full Senate is expected in early April.