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COURTESY PHOTOJudge Ketanji Brown Jackson KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESSAttorney General Rob Bonta
California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined several other Democratic attorneys general in a letter in support of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the president’s pick for the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Judge Jackson is a highly qualified legal mind, who has been at the forefront of the legal field for decades and will serve our nation well as the first black woman Supreme Court Justice,” the attorneys general said. “We strongly believe that Judge Jackson exhibits the ‘extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity’ that President Biden stated were some of the key qualities he was seeking in the next Supreme Court justice.”
President Joe Biden announced Judge Jackson as his historic pick for the Supreme Court bench earlier this year, fulfilling a campaign promise to nominate a black woman to the nation’s highest court.
Justice Stephen Breyer is retiring from the court.
Judge Jackson, 51, sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She is an alumna of Harvard University, both for undergraduate and law school, and has clerked for Justice Breyer.
“Judge Jackson will bring to the bench extensive legal experience from her work as a public defender, as vice chair and commissioner on the U.S. Sentencing Commission, as a federal district judge, and most recently as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit,” the attorneys general said in the letter dated March 15.
“This administration’s commitment to a judiciary that reflects America’s diversity is worthy of recognition today and in America’s history books for generations to come,” they continued.
In all, 23 Democratic attorneys general signed the letter.
Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla have met with Judge Jackson and have lauded her background.
Sen. Feinstein said on social media Thursday Judge Jackson is a “remarkable nominee and will make a very strong Supreme Court justice.”
“Judge Jackson is an outstanding nominee with nearly a decade of judicial experience and exceptional legal credentials,” said Sen. Padilla in a statement. “I’m impressed by Judge Jackson’s commitment to the rule of law, her long record of public service and her clear understanding of how the law affects people’s everyday lives. Her historic nomination to be the first black woman and the first federal public defender on the Supreme Court will advance the fight for equal justice.”
Judge Jackson previously received bipartisan support from the U.S. Senate. But Republicans are still predictably opposed to or cautious about her nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“When Judge Jackson appeared last year before the Judiciary Committee, I was troubled by aspects of her record, including her record on crime and criminal justice,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said in a statement. “I will be thoroughly reviewing Judge Jackson’s record from top to bottom and look forward to speaking with her.”
email: kschallhorn@newspress.com
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