The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments next Monday in a case that could have major implications for racial equality and college admissions. The case, Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College, is widely expected to end the practice of affirmative action in higher education.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas will not teach at George Washington University Law School this fall, after his concurring opinion overturning the constitutional right to abortion prompted a public outcry.
"Justice Thomas informed GW Law that he is unavailable to co-teach a constitutional law seminar this fall," a university spokesperson said in a statement.
The university "does not have additional information to share" about whether Thomas may teach at the law school in the future, the statement said.
A spokesperson for the Supreme Court did not respond to a request for comment. Thomas has co-taught a seminar at GW Law since 2011, according to GW Hatchet, the student newspaper, which first reported that the justice would not return this fall.
Critics circulated an online petition calling on the university to fire Thomas after the Supreme Court issued its June decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which left regulation of abortion access to the states.
The petition had more than 11,000 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon.
University Provost Christopher Bracey and law dean Dayna Bowen Matthew said in a campus-wide email last month that Thomas would not be fired as a law school adjunct, although his views did not represent the university or its law school.
The Supreme Court held a swearing in ceremony for Ketanji Brown Jackson to be the first Black woman on the nation’s highest court. Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the constitutional oath and outgoing Justice Stephen Breyer did the judicial oath. Watch her swearing in below.
UPDATED JUNE 30, 2022 with swearing in video!
Ketanji Brown Jackson will be sworn as the Supreme Court's 116th justice Thursday, just as the man she is replacing, Justice Stephen Breyer, retires.
The judicial pas de deux is set to take place at noon, the moment Breyer said in a letter to President Joe Biden on Wednesday that his retirement will take effect after nearly 28 years on the nation's highest court.
In a ceremony the court said it will stream live on its website, Jackson will recite two oaths required of Supreme Court justices, one administered by Breyer and the other by Chief Justice John Roberts.
Jackson will be able to begin work immediately, but the court will have just finished the bulk of its work until the fall, apart from emergency appeals that occasionally arise. That will give her time to settle in and familiarize herself with the roughly two dozen cases the court already has agreed to hear starting in October as well as hundreds of appeals that will pile up over the summer.
Supreme Court Justice Justice Clarence Thomas helped overturn Roe v. Wade and now seems poised to reconsider other previously protected rights like contraception, same sex marriage and same sex relationships. The View host Whoopi Goldberg sent a stark warning for Thomas.
She warned , “Well, he better hope that they don’t come for you, Clarence, and say you should not be married to your wife — who happens to be white, because they will move that, and you better hope that nobody says ‘you know you’re not in the constitution you’re back to being a quarter of a person.'”
During Chicago's Pride parade, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said what many in the United States would like to say to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (BKA Uncle Clarence) right now. Watch her NSFW comments below:
LORI LIGHTFOOT: "F*ck Clarence Thomas"pic.twitter.com/Pq5yTMxaIZ
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 27, 2022
Vice President Kamala Harris released the following after a release of a Supreme Court opinion was released on overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.
The United States Supreme Court has now confirmed that the draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade is genuine.
Roe ensures a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion. It also, at its root, protects the fundamental right to privacy. What is clear is that opponents of Roe want to punish women and take away their rights to make decisions about their own bodies. Republican legislators in states across the country are weaponizing the use of the law against women.
The rights of all Americans are at risk. If the right to privacy is weakened, every person could face a future in which the government can potentially interfere in the personal decisions you make about your life. This is the time to fight for women and for our country with everything we have.
Watch Vice President Kamala Harris' statement at a White House celebration of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation to the Supreme Court.
Rep. Donald M. Payne Jr. issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to become the next U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Judge Jackson becomes the first African-American woman to be a Supreme Court Justice and the fourth woman on the current Supreme Court. She replaces Justice Stephen Breyer, who is retiring from the Court later this year.
“I want to congratulate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on her appointment to be the next U.S. Supreme Court Justice. She is a brilliant legal mind with the highest character and integrity. Justice Jackson has served at all levels of the legal system and brings decades of legal experience to her new position. Her work as a public defender gives her an understanding of how legal decisions affect the lives of all Americans. I am proud that President Biden has fulfilled his campaign promise to select an African-American woman for the Supreme Court and applaud the Senate for confirming such an exceptional judge. Today is a historic day in America.”
Today, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) released the following statement upon the Senate confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court of the United States:
“I’m overjoyed today. I am thrilled for Justice Jackson. I am thrilled for Black Women. I am thrilled for America. With this confirmation the Supreme Court will not only look more like America; it will think more like America. Today, my granddaughter got to see the first Black woman to serve as Vice President announce the confirmation of the first Black Woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice. From this day forward she’ll know, and millions of Black girls and Black boys will know, that they can do anything.”
Michelle Obama released the following statement after the confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court:
I was so moved to see Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmed this afternoon. Like so many of you, I can’t help but feel a sense of pride—a sense of joy—to know that this deserving, accomplished Black woman will be a part of the highest court in the land.
U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement:
“For the first time in America’s history, a Black woman will sit on the highest court in our nation’s land. Like many Americans, I feel immense pride and so much joy at this historic occasion.
“As Judge Jackson ascends to the United States Supreme Court, I see in her the affirmation of our ancestors who suffered the indignities of this country yet sacrificed to bend the moral arc of our nation towards justice. They knew that America, though haunted by its past failings, was not bound by them and believed that a day like this would eventually arrive.
“Judge Jackson brings to the court a unique set of experiences. She has clerked at all three levels of the judiciary, including for Justice Stephen Breyer. In 2005, she became a public defender, embarking on the noble work that is a cornerstone of our justice system. Since then Judge Jackson has continued to serve our nation, first as Vice Chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission and then on the federal bench. Her sterling credentials have earned her broad support and this will be the fourth time that the United States Senate will confirm her to a role she was nominated for in a bipartisan manner.
“Throughout her confirmation hearings, Judge Jackson has displayed poise and grace, and I commend President Biden for nominating her. He has found the right person to serve as the 116th Justice of the Supreme Court, and I am overjoyed to cast my vote in favor of a brilliant jurist who will inspire generations to come.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Monday to send Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the full Senate, moving her one step closer to becoming the first Black woman and first former public defender on the nation’s highest court.
The panel advanced Jackson’s nomination on a 11-11 vote, with every Republican voting no. Those GOP members are Sens. Chuck Grassley (Iowa), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), John Cornyn (Texas), Mike Lee (Utah), Ted Cruz (Texas), Ben Sasse (Neb.), Josh Hawley (Mo.), Tom Cotton (Ark.), John Kennedy (La.), Thom Tillis (N.C.) and Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.).
The tie vote meant Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) had to later force her nomination out of the committee via a procedural step known as a discharge petition. Schumer teed up that vote Monday night; the motion to discharge Jackson from the committee passed, 53-47.
“This procedural step should be entirely unnecessary,” Schumer said on the Senate floor just before the vote. “There is no question — no question — that Judge Jackson deserves a strong bipartisan vote in committee. But sadly, despite the judge’s qualifications, not a single Republican on the committee voted to report her out of committee.”
He added, “The end result will remain unchanged: Judge Jackson ultimately has enough support to get confirmed on a bipartisan basis, and the Senate is going to keep working until this nomination is complete.”
Three Republicans voted with Democrats to release Jackson’s nomination from the committee: Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Mitt Romney (Utah). They are the only GOP senators who have said they will vote to confirm Jackson.
The Senate has a couple more procedural steps to clear this week, but Jackson is on track to be confirmed late Thursday.
U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) released a statement on his intention to vote "no" on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.
"The historic nature of Judge Jackson’s nomination reinforces the progress our country has made. However, ideology must be the determining factor—not identity—when considering such an important lifetime appointment," said Senator Tim Scott. "It is clear that Judge Jackson’s judicial philosophy and positions on the defining issues of our time make her the wrong choice for the Supreme Court. From leaving the door open on court packing to her multiple overturned opinions, I cannot support a nominee with her record of judicial activism. I remain disappointed that President Biden missed the opportunity to unite the country with a mainstream nominee that could have received resounding bipartisan support. For all these reasons, I will be voting no on Judge Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court."
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who hails from one of the most conservative states in the country, announced Monday that he will vote for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court and praised her as “a person of honor.”
“After reviewing Judge Jackson’s record and testimony, I have concluded that she is a well-qualified jurist and a person of honor. While I do not expect to agree with every decision she may make on the Court, I believe that she more than meets the standard of excellence and integrity,” Romney said in a statement.
Romney joined fellow centrist GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) as the only three Republicans to announce their support for Jackson.
In a letter sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, the International Association of Chiefs of Police urged senators to confirm U.S. Circuit Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.
“Judge Jackson has several family members in law enforcement, and we believe this has given her a deep understanding of, and appreciation for, the challenges and complexities confronting the policing profession,” Chief Dwight E. Henninger, IACP president, wrote in the letter.
The endorsement comes a week before Jackson’s hearings are set to begin in the committee.
The IACP is the largest professional association for police leaders and includes 31,000 members in more than 165 countries. Jackson has also been endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, dozens of police chiefs and sheriffs, and 83 Republican and Democratic former attorneys general.
Women from the Black Women's Roundtable converged on Capitol Hill to urge lawmakers to support Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson and voting rights legislation that has stalled in the Senate.
A group of two-dozen former law clerks from the 1999 Supreme Court term that served with Ketanji Brown Jackson have written a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of her confirmation.
In the letter to the former clerks extoll the intellect and character of Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson with whom they served.
"We hold diverse points of view on politics, judicial philosophy, and much else. Yet we all support Judge Jackson's nomination to the Supreme Court," the group writes, "because we know her to be eminently qualified for this role in intellect, character, and experience."
Read the entire letter below:
Supreme Court Clerks Letter by Kate Pastor
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump publicly urged President Joe Biden to tap Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court on Wednesday, as the president closes in on a decision for his first nomination to the high court.
"In my view, that of a civil rights lawyer and advocate who is committed to bringing justice, respect, and fairness to this nation, and particularly to my community, that woman is Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson," Crump said in a statement, provided first to ABC News.
The endorsement -- the first from a high-profile Black civil rights advocate -- is a significant boost for Jackson after African American community leaders have spent weeks largely remaining neutral on the pick.
"My standards for this nominee go beyond integrity, brilliance and fairness," Crump said in the statement. "I carry the additional purchase that this justice must represent African Americans in a way that has cultural competency, forcefulness and instills deep pride."
Georgetown Law School has put Ilya Shapiro, an incoming director of a research institute, on administrative leave following a series of deleted tweets about President Joe Biden naming a "lesser Black woman" to the Supreme Court instead of other potential nominees due to the president's promise to make a historic selection.
"Even has identity politics benefit of being first Asian (Indian) American. But alas doesn't fit into latest intersectionality hierarchy so we'll get lesser black woman. Thank heaven for small favors?" Shapiro wrote in a now-deleted tweet.
"Ilya Shapiro's tweets are antithetical to the work that we do here every day to build inclusion, belonging, and respect for diversity," Georgetown Law School Dean William Treanor wrote in a note to the law school community, according to Slate's Mark Joseph Stern.
Treanor said Shapiro will remain on leave and off-campus until an investigation into whether he violated the university's policies and "expectations of professional conduct" is complete. InsideHigherEd reported that the Georgetown Black Law Students Association among others had previously called for Shapiro's termination.
