As Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson faces tough questions at her confirmation hearings, she has at least one letter of recommendation to fall back on: her daughter’s.
Back in 2016, Leila Jackson – then 11 years old – wrote a message urging then-president Barack Obama to consider her mom for the high court. At the time, Mr Obama was choosing a potential replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia, who had just died.
The letter, first uncovered by ABC News, reads as follows:
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.
I, her daughter Leila Jackson of eleven years old, strongly believe 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. 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 you have other nominees. Please consider her aspects for the job.
Thank you for listening!
Leila Jackson
On Tuesday, Senator Cory Booker quoted the letter at Ms Jackson’s confirmation hearing.
“I suspect after these proceedings and – please, God! – after your confirmation to the Supreme Court, something new will happen in America: that that letter from your daughter will not be exceptional,” the New Jersey Democrat said. “We’re gonna see a new generation of children talking about their mamas, and daring to write to the president of the United States of America that ‘my mom should be on the Supreme Court.’”
In hindsight, Ms Jackson is fortunate she wasn’t nominated in 2016. That year, Senate Republicans refused to even consider Mr Obama’s nominee, arguing that the seat should be filled by the next president. In 2017, Mr Scalia was replaced by Justice Neil Gorsuch, a conservative judge nominated by then-president Donald Trump.
