UNM professor reflects on U.S. Supreme Court nominee - KOAT New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —
History may soon be made in the United States Supreme Court.
On Feb. 25, President Joe Biden nominated federal appeals court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the high court, making her the first Black woman selected to serve.
Biden introduces Ketanji Brown Jackson as his Supreme Court nominee
University of New Mexico professor Sonia Gipson Rankin said she's in awe of the historic nomination.
"[She's] a highly regarded jurist on the bench, and her trajectory has just been phenomenal," Rankin said.
Who is Ketanji Brown Jackson? A look at the personal and legal record of the SCOTUS nominee
With an extensive background in criminal justice, Rankin believes Jackson is blazing a new trail in the history of U.S. law.
A big difference compared to hundreds of years ago when the highly-distinguished court declared her race unworthy of citizenship and endorsed segregation.
"Even before we were a nation, over 100 years before there was a constitution, there were statues in Virginia determining and restricting black women's access," Rankin said.
If appointed, Jackson would also be the first former federal public defender in the court's 232-year history.
The change could help to interpret the Constitution and ensure equal justice under the law.
"There has never been a public defender who has been on the United States Supreme Court," Rankin said. "That's a significant portion of the purpose of our legal system, to be fair and equal representation."
Jackson is already being compared to iconic figures in U.S. history, like Thurgood Marshall.
Marshall was an American lawyer and civil rights activist who served on the U.S. Supreme Court from October 1967 until October 1991. He was the court's first Black justice.
"We need to keep in mind, [Jackson] has crafted over 600 legal decisions. Her record is deep, and there has been less than 1% of those decisions [that] have ever been reviewed or overturned," Rankin said.
The UNM professor is just one of over 200 black female law professors who have signed a letter on Feb. 25, urging the U.S. Senate to confirm Jackson's nomination.
The goal of Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, is to confirm Jackson by April 8.
However, discussions could start as early as mid-March.
"When you think about that history and that perspective that Judge Jackson will bring, it’s never occurred before," Rankin said. "It’s appropriate because our criminal justice system is based on the premise of innocent until proven guilty."
In the meantime, Rankin says the moment will live on in history and inspire so many generations.
"Black women have long been inspiring themselves, and I do believe that Judge Jackson will just be another example that this is possible," Rankin said.
source: https://www.koat.com/article/supreme-court-nominee-unm-law-professor/39251589
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