A longtime friend of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson made the case that the Supreme Court nominee is the very embodiment of friendship during the judge’s first confirmation hearing Monday.
Lisa Fairfax, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Jackson’s former roommate at Harvard University, used her five minutes of testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee to describe the nominee as someone who unites people during a time in which division reigns.
“Those first moments when you wonder if you belong, she’s the friend that made sure we all did,” Fairfax said. “A woman of deep faith in God and unyielding love for family. Ketanji defines friendship. She’s the friend you’re immediately drawn to for their outgoing and friendly nature. As our circle of friends grew, she’s the one who became the rock for us all.”
Jackson, 51, who sits on the nation’s second most powerful court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, was nominated by President Joe Biden to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. If confirmed by the Senate, she would become the first black female justice on the high court.
KETANJI BROWN JACKSON ‘HUMBLED AND HONORED’ TO BE CONSIDERED FOR SUPREME COURT SEAT
Fairfax gave Jackson credit for being a role model for young black women, not just in her work but in her dedication to her friends.
“There’s so much more to Ketanji beyond her brilliant mind. There’s her wonderful sense of humor, her gift of storytelling, her heart of gold that always shows up. From the first call you make for advice about your career to the first knock you hear on the door after learning you’re diagnosed with cancer, you never have to ask — she is always there,” Fairfax said. “Above all, Ketanji is humble enough not to pretend she knows how to have it all, but she does know how to give it her all. And what she gives to her family, her friends, she also gives to the law and to this country.”
Jackson’s husband, Patrick, could be seen wiping his eyes as Fairfax spoke and when his wife delivered her opening statement.
During her remarks, Jackson thanked her husband, a doctor she met at Harvard, for his support over the past 35 years. She also thanked their two daughters for being patient as she navigated an unusual career path.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Jackson’s dedication, work ethic, and “intellectual brilliance” are characteristics that make her a great candidate for the Supreme Court, Fairfax said, adding that Jackson’s propensity to be fair is the reason she has friends not just on both sides of the political aisle but also in law enforcement and among civil rights leaders.
