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Why Latinos should support Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmation

By immigrationprof

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Photo courtesy of U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Website

The Senate confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson continue today at 9 a.m. EST, with the first real questioning on the immediate horizon.

Raul Reyes on The Hill lays out the case “Why Latinos should support Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmation”:

“Her professional and personal experience indicate that she is familiar with our communities. On issues like immigration, Jackson is thoughtful and faithful to the law. Plus, her nomination is supported by myriad Latino advocacy groups and by most Latinos.

Jackson will bring valuable insight to the court. She is a product of public schools and a two-time Harvard graduate. She hails from Miami, a majority-Latino city, and these roots give her valuable perspective on the diversity of American lives. Her work as a public defender and on the U.S. Sentencing Commission is especially important because Latinos disproportionately interact with the criminal justice system – and because Supreme Court decisions often play a major role in defining the constitutional rights of defendants. If confirmed, Jackson would be the only current justice with significant work representing poor defendants.

Then there is Jackson’s record on immigration. . . . . 

As the National Immigration Law Center has pointed out, in her opinions Jackson has generally avoided terms like `aliens’ and `illegals,’ a semantic choice that acknowledges the basic humanity of migrants. Her immigration record itself is quite balanced. In Kiakombua v. Wolf (2020), Jackson found that the government used unlawful Trump administration guidelines to rule on asylum cases, and in Make the Road New York v. McAleenan (2019), she ruled against the Trump administration’s attempt to expand its expedited removal program for migrants. But that same year, in Center for Biological Diversity v. McAleenan, Jackson dismissed a lawsuit brought by environmental groups challenging Trump’s border wall. So, no one can say she favors `open borders.’

In her relatively short time on the national stage, Jackson’s nomination has drawn praise from an array of Latino civic and legal organizations. The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Hispanic Federation, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), and UnidosUS have all hailed her credentials and public service.”

KJ

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