Thread by @NLADA

(1/8): On Mar. 21st congress will start SCOTUS confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. If confirmed she will be the first Black woman and former public defender to become a Justice. @NLADA stands firm on the need for a public defender on the bench. #Defender4SCOTUS

(2/8): The U.S. Supreme Court has never had a Justice with public defense experience. Yet, SCOTUS presides over a vast number of criminal law cases each year. Judge Brown Jackson’s experience as a PD will bring a fresh and necessary perspective to the Court. #Defender4SCOTUS

(3/8): No legal professionals are better suited than PDs to understand the challenges that confront people experiencing poverty who have been accused of crimes. PDs understand the imbalance of power in the legal system and the way it often criminalizes poverty. #Defender4SCOTUS

(4/8): The 6th Amendment right to counsel is foundational to our Constitution and the American legal system. PDs ensure we are fulfilling this obligation and the country's highest court should reflect that. #Defender4SCOTUS

(5/8): If confirmed, Judge Brown Jackson will be the first Black woman and 6th woman in history to sit on the United States Supreme Court bench. #Defender4SCOTUS

(6/8): Representation matters: Only 13 African American women ever served on the federal court of appeals, and Judge Brown Jackson is one. As of 2020, there are approximately 383 women judges on the federal bench and 136 African American federal judges. #Defender4SCOTUS

(7/8): Regarding Judge Brown Jackson’s nomination NLADA’s President and CEO @april_camara said, “[A]s a former public defender she knows the courts’ critical role in protecting the constitutional rights of all people, including those who cannot afford a lawyer.” #Defender4SCOTUS

(8/8): NLADA urges the Senate to swiftly confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court. #Defender4SCOTUS