Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson said Tuesday it would be “extremely meaningful” for four women to sit on the Supreme Court should she be confirmed.
“One of the things of having diverse members of the court does is it provides for the opportunity for role models,” Judge Jackson said.
“Since I was nominated to this position, I have received so many notes and letters and photos from little girls around the country who tell me they are so excited for this opportunity and they have thought about the law in new ways because I am a woman because I am a Black woman — all of those things.”
If the Senate confirms Judge Jackson to replace retiring Justice Stephen G. Breyer, she will join the bench with Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Amy Coney Barrett.
That would make four of the nine justices currently serving on the high court women for the first time in U.S. history. Judge Jackson would be the sixth female justice to ever serve on the high court.
Women make up only 35% of judges in the federal judiciary, according to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat, who asked the nominee about the significance of her nomination during Tuesday’s confirmation hearing.
SEE ALSO: Ketanji Brown Jackson refuses to weigh in on court packing
“We want, I think, as a country for everyone to believe they can do things like sit on the Supreme Court, so having meaningful numbers of women and people of color, I think, matters,” Judge Jackson said. “It supports public confidence.”
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.