Pa., N.J. senators react to Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court nomination: ‘A Jackie Robinson moment’

Local Democrats quickly hailed President Joe Biden’s nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday, saying her past experience as a public defender and potential to become the first Black woman justice would bring much-needed diversity to the high court.

The Philadelphia region’s lone Republican senator, Pat Toomey, was more circumspect, saying that he looked forward to reviewing her record and cautioning that only “neutral umpires of the law” deserve Senate confirmation to the Supreme Court.

The conflicting responses to one of Biden’s most significant decisions reflected the long-standing partisan splits over the court as the Senate confirmation process awaits Jackson. Democrats can confirm Jackson without GOP support — but only if their entire caucus votes to approve her.

Democrats from Pennsylvania and New Jersey emphasized the importance of adding a Black woman to the bench for the first time.

“This is a Jackie Robinson moment for our nation,” said Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and one of the Senate’s few Black members. “For generations America has been blessed with extraordinary legal talent in people of all backgrounds, but for the first time in our history an extraordinarily talented Black woman will serve on the Supreme Court. I’m profoundly moved by this; my heart aches with joy.”

Jackson would be the second Black justice on the current court, along with Justice Clarence Thomas, and the third in the court’s history.

While Jackson most recently has been a judge on the high-profile federal appeals court based in Washington, Booker pointed to her time as a public defender, calling it “a deeply important role” in which no other justices have ever served.

“This kind of occupational diversity is badly needed on our nation’s highest court, and helps root Judge Jackson in the reality that the court’s decisions have on people’s lives — especially those without great wealth and privilege,” Booker added.

Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.) said Jackson “has spent her career fighting for a more equitable and just America and will carry that vision on the Supreme Court” and said he was “honored to support her nomination.”

“This is a historic nomination and will bring us one step closer in having our institutions better reflect the diversity of our nation,” Casey said.

Sen. Bob Menendez (D., N.J.) praised Jackson’s experience, integrity, and judgment.

“For the first time in history, women and girls across America will see themselves more fully reflected in our judicial system,” Menendez said, noting that only five women have ever served on the Supreme Court (with three currently on the bench).

Toomey said he looked forward to meeting Jackson and vetting her record “to carefully consider her nomination.”

“Only the most qualified jurists who will diligently serve as neutral umpires of the law — not as unelected legislators with preferred policy outcomes — merit confirmation to serve as guardians of the Constitution and arbiters of our laws on the Supreme Court,” Toomey said.