CNN announcing that Ketanji Brown Jackson is Biden’s pick for SCOTUS.
Judge Jackson is undoubtedly in the liberal camp in terms of her legal philosophy. She will move the left wing of the Court more to the left than where it was with Breyer in that seat. /1
Judge Jackson is undoubtedly in the liberal camp in terms of her legal philosophy. She will move the left wing of the Court more to the left than where it was with Breyer in that seat. /1
She’s pretty young (51) for a SCOTUS seat, as that’s the way both parties do it now to try to control the makeup of the court for longer. But it also means she has a slightly less developed judicial track record than was historically true. That being said, there’s no doubt. . ./2
of her philosophy from her overall legal career, so the shorter judicial record is of lesser importance than it would’ve with a different nominee. She was a federal trial judge for 8 years & on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals since March 2021. /3
Temperamentally & experientially, I think she’s better suited to be an appellate lawyer/judge than a trial lawyer/judge. In my experience, she was not a good manager of her docket, but that’s not really an issue for a judge on the Court of Appeals or SCOTUS. /4
I also found much of her written analysis to be rigid in its framing & conclusions, but not tight -& often not persuasive- in its reasoning. It can be rambly. She knows what she thinks, but laying that out clearly, concisely, & persuasively in writing isn’t her strongest suit. /5
From what I’ve read of her work for the Federal Public Defender, I think she was a better advocate on her feet in oral argument than on the briefs. It’s common for lawyers to be better at one than the other. Really gifted lawyers are good - or exceptional- at both. /6
So, in terms of SCOTUS:
for the Left, she brings a solid, consistent liberal vote across the board;
for the Right, she brings mostly a vote that will go the opposite of what we think, but there is one positive that I see: /7
for the Left, she brings a solid, consistent liberal vote across the board;
for the Right, she brings mostly a vote that will go the opposite of what we think, but there is one positive that I see: /7
She will bring to the court for the 1st time in a long time a voice of actual experience w/the criminal justice system, as a trial judge & a defense lawyer. The criminal justice system in this country -including federal- needs radical reform. It’s an affront to liberty lovers.
/8
/8
Many of the decisions that the SCOTUS makes in the realm of criminal law & criminal procedure are wildly divorced from real life because the Justices see the system only from their ivory tower. Practicing criminal defense lawyers see how it affects (often crushes) human beings./9
Overall, I myself don’t know of & haven’t heard of any reason to question her integrity, character or qualifications. Her views are too liberal overall for me & for the Right, but as a Democratic pick that’s a foregone conclusion & not a good basis for opposing her nomination./10
Bottom line: there will be many issues on which Judge Jackson’s views won’t be shared by the Right, but this isn’t the Right’s pick, so that was always going to be the case. But a “Justice” Jackson will sometimes be a vote against govt overreach, w/which the Right will agree./11
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
