When asked by Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri about the First Amendment, Jackson responded, “I do believe in religious liberty,” calling it a “foundational tenet of our entire government.”
In response to the Supreme Court nomination, Charles Holmes Jr., an HBCU (Historic Black College and University) college director for The Summit Church, claimed a personal connection to Jackson on Twitter.
“My wife’s grandmother was led to Christ by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s mother,” he typed. “My wife’s family wouldn’t be Christians if it wasn’t for Judge Jackson’s mother.”
6. What Biden says about Jackson
In a tweet announcing the nomination, Biden called Jackson “one of our nation’s brightest legal minds” and said that she will be “an exceptional Justice.”
During his formal announcement on Friday, Biden introduced Jackson as “a daughter of former public school teachers, a proven consensus builder, an accomplished lawyer, a distinguished jurist on one of the nation’s most prestigious courts.”
“Today, I’m pleased to nominate Judge Jackson who will bring extraordinary qualifications, deep experience in intellect, and a rigorous traditional record to the court,” he said.
7. What pro-life leaders say about Jackson
In response to the new nominee, pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) expressed concern over Jackson’s position on Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. The Supreme Court is expected to decide a high-profile case that directly challenges Roe — Dobbs v. Jackson — later this year.
“Joe Biden is fulfilling his promise to only appoint justices who support the Roe v. Wade regime of abortion on demand up to birth,” president Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a press release. “Ketanji Brown Jackson is backed by many of America’s most radical pro-abortion groups. She is on record opposing the free speech rights of pro-life advocates pleading to save lives outside abortion centers and supporting the false claim that abortion is ‘health care.’”
Dannenfelser added, “We have no doubt she will work with the most pro-abortion administration in history to enshrine abortion on demand nationwide in the law.”
SBA List also noted that in 2001, Jackson co-authored an amicus brief in McGuire v. Reilly in support of a Massachusetts law that created a “buffer zone” preventing pro-life sidewalk counselors from approaching women outside of abortion clinics. Jackson’s clients include pro-choice groups such as NARAL and the Abortion Access Project of Massachusetts.
The March for Life also cautioned pro-lifers on Twitter about Brown’s record.
“March for Life opposes President Biden's anticipated nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the U.S. Supreme Court based on her record of judicial activism,” the pro-life group said. “We expect her to be a reliable vote for the far left and the Biden administration’s radical abortion agenda.”
“We urge the Members of the Senate to stand for our nation’s mothers and most vulnerable unborn by rejecting this extreme nominee, and we encourage the nomination of a judge who will honor our Constitution and the right to life,” the group concluded.
As the head of Americans United for Life, Catherine Glenn Foster highlighted that abortion groups such as NARAL and Planned Parenthood applauded Jackson as the nominee “tragically, and literally within seconds of President Biden’s announcement.”
“Although Kentanji Brown Jackson has not yet explicitly stated her views on Roe or abortion, NARAL, Planned Parenthood, and other abortion activists see in her an ally for the moral crime of abortion,” she stressed in a statement.
When asked about her position on Roe v. Wade during her confirmation proceedings last year, Jackson responded: “As a sitting federal judge, all of the Supreme Court’s pronouncements are binding on me, and under the Code of Conduct for United States Judges, I have a duty to refrain from critiquing the law that governs my decisions, because doing so creates the impression that the judge would have difficulty applying binding law to their own rulings.”
Former Washington, D. C., correspondent Katie Yoder covered pro-life issues, the U.S. Catholic bishops, public policy, and Congress for Catholic News Agency. She previously worked for Townhall.com, National Review, and the Media Research Center.