Who is Ketanji Brown Jackson, Joe Biden’s Supreme Court Nominee

Ketanji Brown Jackson was born on 14 September 1970 in Miami, Florida. She is a jurist serving as a federal judge in the United States Court of Appeal and an American Attorney. On 25 February 2020, Joe Biden announced her as his nominee for associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She is to fill the vacant position created upon Stephen Breyer’s retirement.

Early life and education

Ketanji was born Ketanji Onyika Brown in Washington DC and brought up in Miami with her parents, Johnny and Ellery Brown. She went to Palmetto High School and graduated in 1998, after which she proceeded to Harvard University, where she studied law and moved to Law School. Ketanji started her career with Associate Justice Stephen Breyer. One of her uncles was sentenced to life imprisonment when she was in college; a few years later, she convinced a law firm to take up his case, and President Barack Obama adjusted his sentence. During her time at the university, she led a protest against a student who made public a Confederate flag from his window. She was also involved in comedy and drama.

Top 10 facts about Ketanji Brown Jackson

1. Ketanji Brown Jackson turns 52 on her birthday in 2022 as she was born on 14 September 1970.
2. She is mostly known as an American attorney.
3. Also, Jackson will be the first black woman to serve as Justice of the Supreme Court in the US, nominated by President Joe Biden.
4. She is an exceptional woman who has achieved a lot, working with different law firms.
5. Ketanji Brown Jackson is happily married to the love of her life, Dr. Patrick Graves Jackson, and they have two daughters together.
6. She is a career woman who understands how to balance her work as a legal person with family life. 
7. President Barack Obama nominated her as a judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in 2012, replacing Judge Henry H. Kennedy’s Jr.
8. In 2013, she was nominated to the full Senate and received her commission in March of that year.
9. She has an estimated net worth of $23 million with an annual salary of $300k.
10. Ketanji Brown Jackson was born Ketanji Onyika Brown, and her middle name indicates that she has Nigerian roots because it is predominantly common in the African country.

Full Name	Ketanji Brown Jackson
Nickname	Ketan
Date of Birth	14 September 1970
Place of Birth	Washington D.C
Nationality	USA
Gender	Female
High School	Palmetto Senior High School
University	Harvard University and Harvard Law School
Profession	American Attorney and Jurist
Hobbies	Reading, writing, traveling, etc.
Marital Status	Married
Husband	Dr. Patrick Graves Jackson
Daughters	Talia and Leila Jackson
Father	Johnny Brown
Mother	Ellery Brown
Eye Color	Black
Hair Color	Black
Height	5feet 6inches
Weight	65kg
Net worth	$23 million
Zodiac sign	Unknown
Religion	Christianity

 

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Career

Before going to law school, Ketanji worked for Time magazine as a researcher and staff reporter, after which she went to law school, where she worked as a supervising editor. She graduated from law school in 1996. She served as a law clerk for one year in a firm, then moved to three other firms operating one year each. She worked in private legal practice for three years, then served as an assistant special counsel to the US Sentencing Commission. She won cases against the government that reduced or canceled long and protractive prison terms. 

On 23 July 2009, she was nominated by President Barack Obama to become Vice-Chair of the US Sentencing Commission. During her tenure, the sentencing guidelines were amended to reduce the range for crack cocaine offenses and incorporated the “drugs minus two” amendment.

In September 2012, Ketanji was nominated again by Barack Obama to serve as a judge for the US district court. She was introduced in December 2011 by Republican Paul Ryan, who mentioned that though their politics differ, his respect for her character, integrity, and intellect is evident. Justice Breyer swore her in in 2013.

Personal life

Ketanji Onyika Brown parents

Ketanji was born to Johnny Brown(father) and Ellery Brown (mother). Her father was an attorney, and her mom was a New World School of the Arts principal. There is limited information about her parents on the media.

Ketanji Onyika Brown husband

Ketanji got married to the love of her life, Dr. Patrick Graves Jackson, in 1996 after dating for six years. Their union produced two daughters, Talia and Leila Jackson. According to the Miami Herald, Patrick is a gastrointestinal surgeon, and she met him while they were at Harvard University. There is limited information about his personal life and family as he loves to live a private life. Although Dr. Patrick is active on Twitter, his tweets are protected. In a tweet that is inaccessible, in June 2021, he made a post celebrating his wife; he mentioned that he was grateful to be married to a brilliant and compassionate partner who takes his breath away. 

In a 2017 speech, the judge spoke exhaustively about her husband and two daughters. In the speech, she portrayed their method of parenting style; she said they teach their daughters to respect everybody and place work before play. She also mentioned that her husband was medical personnel, whereas she is threading a contrasting career path.

She further discussed the hurdles and challenges innate in balancing a career with family life, especially starting her career with a newborn baby. 

Ketanji explained that the route for women in the legal profession could be demanding and laborious as they face stumbling blocks in moving to advantageous positions at law firms.

She also said that if she was expected to leave her baby and focus on her career, she needed to find a law job compatible with her family’s needs and fulfillment. Because of all these, she moved from one position to another as her family needs and circumstances changed. She also added that she is responsible for teaching her children the right way to live despite her busy schedule. Meanwhile, she says that she helps her daughters search for mentors, using herself as an example, being a product of mentorship both in family life and career.

During her tenure in the District Court, then-Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died, thereby leaving a vacant position; Leila, Jackson’s daughter, wrote a letter to President Obama.

“Dear Mr. President, while you are considering judges to fill Justice Scalia’s seat on the Supreme Court, I would like to add my mother Ketanji Brown Jackson of the district court to the list,” this speech was recited by Jackson in 2017.

“I, her daughter Leila Jackson of 11 years old, strongly believe that she would be an excellent fit for the position. She is determined, honest, and never breaks a promise to anyone, even if there are other things she’d rather do,” Jackson read from her daughter’s letter. “She can demonstrate commitment, and is loyal and never brags. I think she would make a great Supreme Court justice, even if the workload will be larger on the court or if you have other nominees. Please consider her aspects for the job. Thank you for listening.”

Though Jackson was shortlisted, Obama nominated then judge-Merrick Garland to Scalia’s seat. Senate Republicans declined to move forward with the confirmation process, ultimately resulting in President Donald Trump filling the seat with Justice Neil Gorsuch. But her daughter’s letter gave Jackson a new perspective on her life and career.

After reading her daughter’s letter, Jackson said she caught a glimpse of her personal and professional life combined, which made her believe that she and her husband are on their way to achieving great success both in family and career. Jackson is related by marriage to former house speaker Paul Ryan.

Latest news on Ketanji Brown Jackson

Ketanji Brown, in recent times, was nominated by Joe Biden to fill the vacancy of The Justice of the Supreme Court. Joe Biden vowed to fill the position with a black woman if it was vacant, and he kept to his promise. She will become the first black woman to serve as the Justice of the US Supreme Court.

Her net worth

Ketanji Jackson has an estimated net worth of $23 million. She reportedly earns an annual income of $300k. She has luxury cars and houses. President Joe Biden nominated her to become Justice of the Supreme Court in recent times. 

Conclusion                          

Ketanji is a woman with a fantastic profile and exceptional achievements. She is a source of inspiration and motivation to many women who are limited due to gender or intimidation that there is no limit to what they can achieve. Congratulations to her on her new role, and we hope she keeps building an impeccable legacy.

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