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Category: Featured

We celebrate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, our next Supreme Court Justice!

  • Sienna Fontaine General Counsel

Today we celebrate a historic day for our country! Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has been confirmed to be our next Supreme Court Justice, and will become the first Black woman to serve on the Court. We are thrilled, but we will not forget that this long, overdue moment might not have happened, and that we must continue our collective work to ensure economic, academic and social opportunities for all.

Like many of you, I watched the confirmation hearings hopeful that Judge Jackson would be provided a process that dignified her depth of experience as an attorney and judge and demonstrated commitment to public service.

Instead, we saw a process marred by often appalling and outrageous behavior. As a Black woman, I felt deeply troubled by the indignity she so gracefully was required to respond to. As Legal Director, I was also troubled when Make the Road New York became a subject during the confirmation process for certain Senators to direct their ire. Judge Jackson was questioned not only about her decision to issue a preliminary injunction in our case, Make the Road New York, et al v. McAleenan, but about who we are as an organization

Watch this short video highlighting some key moments where our organization was mentioned during the confirmation hearing.

We are proud to have brought that case, which challenged the Trump administration’s expansion of an “expedited removal” policy; a policy that denies immigrants the opportunity to appear before a judge before facing deportation. And, we are proud that our work provided us with a clear, thorough example of how our next Supreme Court Justice will approach the difficult task of adjudicating cases of the utmost importance. We are not intimidated by those who do not agree with our values of dignity and respect, and we will continue to fight for communities who are being denied due process in the law.

Congratulations, now Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, on your historic confirmation to the highest court in our land! You did it.

¡Sí se pudo!