Reporters looking for insight and reactions to the Senate Judiciary hearings for the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, please see comments from Syracuse University College of Law Professor Paula Johnson.
Paula Johnson
Prof. Johnson is a member of the Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission and the co-founder and director of the Cold Case Justice Initiative at Syracuse College of Law. Earlier this month she authored the opinion piece “Supreme Court nominee speaks for Americans unheard by the law” for the Syracuse Post-Standard. In it, she writes:
“(I find) it especially important that Judge Brown Jackson would bring the perspective of a former federal defense attorney to a Supreme Court that has not had someone with such direct experience defending the accused since the late Justice Thurgood Marshall. The promise of equal justice under law, which is etched into the edifice of the Supreme Court building, requires that everyone has a voice and a fair hearing before the American judiciary. With Judge Brown Jackson’s nomination, there is the promise that the stories, experiences and perspectives of the unheard, unseen and disadvantaged also will be part of the balanced consideration of what the law is, what it should be and how it should be applied — fairly,” writes Johnson.
“Judge Brown Jackson should not be judged on only one facet of her qualifications. She should be viewed for the depth and breadth of her experience. She brings a range of complex professional practice experience in the civil, criminal and corporate areas of law. As a jurist, she has served nearly a decade on the bench, which is longer than several current and previous members of the Supreme Court. Judge Brown Jackson’s place on the Supreme Court, should she be confirmed as she deserves to be, will not change the current ideological tilt of the court,” writes Johnson.
You can read Jackson’s full opinion piece on Syracuse.com. Prof. Johnson is available to speak to the media about the issues and questions during the hearings.
Please reach out to Ellen James Mbuqe, executive director of media relations, at ejmbuqe@syr.edu or 412-496-0551 to schedule an interview.
