Supreme Court Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson Says Her Faith Sustains Her But Won't Impede Judgments
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on day three of her confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court on March 23. Still image via CSPAN broadcast
WASHINGTON— Much of America has been focused on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who has been questioned in hearings this week on her way to become the first Black woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court.
And while the Harvard-educated legal mind was skillful in her defense of some of her 570 legal opinions, when it came to talking about her religious beliefs, 51-year-old Jackson refused to offer any specifics about the faith she professed at the start of the hearing.
“I must also pause to reaffirm my thanks to God, for it is faith that sustains me at this moment,” Jackson said during her opening testimony on Monday. “Even prior to today, I can honestly say that my life has been blessed beyond measure.”
Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Miami, Florida, Jackson began her legal career as a law clerk for several judges — including one with Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer.
Jackson served as a judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia from 2013 to 2021.
“You have a wonderful family. You should be proud,” Senator Lindsey Graham, R-SC, told her at the hearing Tuesday. “And your faith matters to you. What faith are you, by the way?”
Jackson initially responded that she was a “nondenominational Protestant,” but Graham cut in and asked if she felt that she could judge a Catholic person fairly, and she responded, “Senator, I have a record of … judging everyone — ”
Graham interrupted Jackson again and replied, “I’m just asking this question because how important is your faith to you?”
During the questioning from Graham, who admitted that he has been known to miss church service, Jackson gently admonished him about the separation between church and state in the Constitution.
“Personally, faith is very important — but as you know, there’s no religious test in the Constitution under Article 6,” Jackson said, referring to the part of the Constitution that prohibits public officials from submitting to religious proof tests.
Graham said he agreed but continued to pepper Jackson with religion-related questions, such as asking her to rank “how faithful” she is on a scale of 1 to 10 and inquiring how often she goes to church. “I go to church probably three times a year, so that speaks poorly of me,” Graham said.
Jackson limited Graham’s spiritual inquisition by saying: “Senator, I am reluctant to talk about my faith in this way just because I want to be mindful of the need for the public to have confidence in my ability to separate out my personal views.”
“I have no doubt that your faith is important to you, and I have zero doubt that you can adjudicate people’s cases fairly if they’re an atheist,” Graham said. “You should be proud of your faith. I am convinced that whatever faith you have — and how often you go to church — will not affect your ability to be fair.”
Alice Thomas, associate professor at the Howard University School of Law, said for the senators to ask her about her faith was not only wrong but “unfair.” She went onto say, “In an employment situation, you can’t ask people about their faith.”
The toughest questioning of Jackson over the first three days came from Republican Senators, who wanted to know more about her record as a judge in sentencing child sex crime defendants and her record as the vice chair of the United States Sentencing Commission.
Jackson put the issue back on the senators because she said it is Congress that wrote the law. “Congress has given judges factors to consider.”
On Tuesday, Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse and a prominent conservative evangelical, remained neutral about Jackson on social media. He wrote:
As Ketanji Brown Jackson goes through the confirmation process as the president’s pick to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, we need to pray for our nation, this appointment, and all of our Supreme Court justices. It is so important that we have justices who support and honor the Constitution, interpret the law as it is written, and do not try to usurp the job of Congress by making laws to fit their own political biases.
Notably, former Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan is related to Jackson through marriage. Jackson is married to a surgeon, Dr. Patrick Jackson. Ryan’s sister-in-law, Dana, is married to Patrick Jackson’s twin brother, William.
“Janna and I are incredibly happy for Ketanji and her entire family,” Ryan tweeted. “Our politics may differ, but my praise for Ketanji's intellect, for her character, and for her integrity, is unequivocal.”
Paula Matabane, communications professor emerita from Howard University and a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, said, “What is very clear to me is Judge Jackson is a woman who is deeply rooted in the spirit of God.”
Matabane said she has watched the hearings nonstop. Jackson doesn’t have to talk about faith — she lives it, Matabane said. “Look at how she carries herself. She is more than a legal intellectual; she is a spiritually mature woman.”
“They have asked her almost (all) insulting questions, and she is able to reverse and bring a calmness through all of those hostilities, and she comes back with a spirit of peace.”
Senior contributor Hamil Harris is an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, and has been a lecturer at Morgan State University. Harris is minister at the Glenarden Church of Christ and a police chaplain. A longtime reporter at The Washington Post, Harris was on the team of Post reporters that published the series “Being a Black Man.” He also was the reporter on the video project that accompanied the series that won two Emmy Awards, the Casey Medal and the Peabody Award. In addition to writing for ReligionUnplugged, Harris contributes to outlets such as The Washington Post, USA Today, The Christian Chronicle and the Washington Informer.