Earlier this year, the American people were given a new prospect for the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). At the nomination of current president Joe Biden, the unwavering Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed to be a new addition to the Supreme Court. Nevertheless, she would not be appointed a Justice until Justice Stephen Breyer retired, and now that time has come. 

On June 30, 2022 Jackson was officially sworn in as the first African American woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice. What does this mean for the future of SCOTUS? The future of the country?

Recently, the Supreme Court has been taking a more conservative approach to most of the issues  brought to their attention. For instance, the New York gun control ruling, the overturning of many past rulings, including Roe v. Wade, and blurring the lines between the separation of church and state. However, many hope that with a new perspective on board, i.e. Justice Jackson, that the rulings will start to reflect what a majority of the people want rather than what the five radical-right (conservative) members wish. 

Jackson has already stated that she will most likely recuse herself from one of the court’s biggest cases next term, which involves Harvard and the race in making admission decisions. Nevertheless, she will be able to join in on the unsettled jurisprudence on whether or not wedding service providers can draw the line at same-sex couples. As America, as advanced as it is, is never short on controversy and people shoving their unwanted opinions in others faces; the newest member of SCOTUS will have her chance to express her voice and possibly the opinions of a younger generation. 

“Justice Jackson will join a court that represents, with its own conservative majority and more liberal dissenters, two starkly different visions of America and its Constitution… She will likely have no illusions about being immediately able to write majority opinions vindicating equal rights or furthering liberty in a way that allows all people and diverse communities to thrive,” President of the liberal Constitutional Accountability Center, Elizabeth Wydra states.

As the 116th justice and its first black woman, Justice Jackson has brought about a historic change for the institution. It is no longer composed of a majority of white men. While this may not sound impressive to some, this may bring hope to others. After all, America is not primarily composed of white men. America is a big pot of many cultures all stirred up yet also divided, as everyone has different opinions on the things that are supposed to make this country great. 

Nevertheless, Justice Jackson has broken a 232 year precedence. Simply existing as a black woman on the Supreme Court is a symbol to a vast majority of the people in America. Right now, what Justice Jackson brings to America is hope. She may not be able to fight against some of the injustices people are facing but her being there gives people a new outlook. 

“This is going to let so much sun shine on so many young women, so many young Black women… We’re going to look back and see this as a moment of real change in American history,” Biden shared during Jackson’s confirmation in April.

Since Jackson will be the first African American woman and the first former public defender to sit on the Supreme Court, she will almost certainly bring about some change within how the court rules in the future. As a woman who takes pride in herself, her children, and the younger generations, many legal experts believe that she will have a significant impact. Whether that be through how Fatima Goss Graves says, through her Blackness, or through her womanhood. Either way with her official status change will come.