Potentially, Justice Jackson could have elected to pursue a different profession, given the complexities she might have anticipated in managing her career and caring for her daughter.
Chatting with CNN's Abby Phillip, Jackson divulged that she and her family encountered difficulties in comprehending what her eldest daughter, Talia, needed. Moments arose when she felt she wasn't measuring up at work or within the prominent Boston law firm she joined shortly post-graduation.
"We grappled, when she was young, to truly grasp what she required," Jackson elaborated, explaining that her family didn't receive a diagnosis for Talia until several years later. "I reckon, if I'd known sooner, I likely would've decided to care for her full-time."
In her recently published autobiography, titled "Exceptional One," the most recent justice on the Supreme Court delves into a familiar account of a family grappling with high-stress careers while nurturing two daughters. According to Jackson, Talia excelled academically but struggled with social scenarios and academic transitions at school, leading to her diagnosis at 11 with mild autism spectrum disorder.
Now 54, Jackson reflected on this challenging phase during her CNN interview, acknowledging times of doubt but retaining faith in the choices she made.
"It's tough to look back without a twinge of regret," Jackson mused, being Biden's Supreme Court nominee in 2022. "I genuinely desired individuals to comprehend that success – accomplishments you've yearned for – can be achieved despite familial hurdles."
Talia, Jackson shared, currently resides in a fantastic state.
At Harvard
Now the first Black woman to serve on the nation's top court, Jackson recounts in her book how she grew up in the post-Civil Rights era, with a family that instilled in her the importance of the moment for African Americans.
"Race has played a substantial role in shaping me and my identity," Jackson confided in CNN.
Born in Miami, Jackson shared her transformation from a mostly White high school to Harvard, where she encountered fellow Black students.
"It essentially offered me the chance to establish connections with individuals who grasped my background, my passions, and my challenges," Jackson expressed. "When I reached Harvard and there were numerous Black students in the classes, I felt, in a manner, empowered to be myself."
"It felt authentic to be me," she added.
On the bench
Requested if the court's landmark 2023 determination ending affirmative action at Harvard and the University of North Carolina had impacted today's Black students adversely, Jackson declined to comment, admitting she hadn't delved deeply into the issue. Jackson dissented in one of those cases and recused herself from the one affecting Harvard, as she had previously served on the school's board of overseers.
Jackson shared her appreciation for conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, the other Black justice on the court, articulating a comprehensive disagreement with her dissent in the case.
"In one way, I was gratified," Jackson stated, "because it indicated that I must have been making valid points worthy of rebuttal."
Jackson took her seat on the bench in 2022, weeks following the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which catapulted the court into the center of American political discourse. Public opinion surveys indicate that resolve in the court has plummeted significantly since the decision – particularly on the left. Jackson acknowledged the apprehension that an expanding segment of the population perceives politics infusing the court's decisions.
"I believe it is a concern for the court as an institution because public trust is basically our only asset," Jackson said. "At a fundamental level, the entire court is concerned about that."
Jackson emphasized the importance of precedent for restricting the judiciary and ensuring that the general public views the law as consistent. Each time the court overturns a precedent, she said, "we have to carefully ponder settled expectations, which is one of the criteria we consider to determine whether or not this will influence the public and, if so, how."
Jackson declined to comment on whether a future court might reassess a constitutional right to abortion.
"I won't presume what would occur in the future," she said.
Jackson also discussed her decision to partner with several of the court's conservatives this year in a case involving rioters at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. A majority of the court confined the prosecutors' power to pursue obstruction charges against the participants.
She described it as an uncomplicated decision.
"I ruled in that case in line with what I believe the law demanded," Jackson disclosed to CNN. "That's how I approach statutory interpretation, regardless of the political climate surrounding the situation."
Despite her prominent role on the Supreme Court, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson acknowledged the impact of politics on the court's decisions. She expressed concern about the eroding public trust in the institution due to perceived political influence.
As politics continue to shape the judicial landscape, maintaining adherence to precedent becomes crucial for upholding public trust. Justice Jackson emphasized the necessity of considering settled expectations and the potential impact on the public before overturning precedents.
