For Immediate Release:
February 25, 2022

  CBAC Applauds the Nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court

WASHINGTON—The Coalition of Bars Associations of Color (CBAC) celebrates President Biden’s nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman, to the U.S. Supreme Court. The members of CBAC stand together in calling for a judiciary that reflects the diversity of the United States. The historic nomination of a woman of color to the Supreme Court is a victory for all of our organizations who value the principle of equal justice under the law.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson brings impeccable credentials to the bench: she is a former clerk to retiring Justice Breyer with more than eight years of judiciary experience. She currently serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and was previously a federal trial court judge. She holds undergraduate and law school degrees from Harvard and has served as a public defender and on the United States Sentencing Commission.

CBAC has led advocacy efforts for decades in support of diverse representation on the federal bench, including the U.S. Supreme Court. People of color comprise over 38% of the U.S. population and are woefully underrepresented in the judiciary. Incredibly, only 70 of the 3,843 people who have ever served as federal judges in the US – fewer than 2% – have been Black women, according to the database maintained by the Federal Judicial Center, the research and education arm of the federal judiciary. When confirmed, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will be just the fourth person of color and only the second woman of color out of 116 justices, including herself.

CBAC supports the nomination and confirmation of the many highly-qualified diverse judicial candidates endorsed by CBAC and stands ready to assist.

CBAC was organized in 1992 to act as a collective voice for issues of common concern to its member organizations: the Hispanic National Bar Association, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the National Bar Association, the National Native American Bar Association and the South Asian Bar Association of North America.

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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting APA communities. Through its national network, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of all backgrounds in the legal profession.