The Network applauds President Biden’s nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.

WASHINGTON, DC)––Family Values @ Work is a movement network of grassroots coalitions in more than two dozen states working to win paid family and medical leave, earned sick and safe days, and affordable, high-quality childcare at the state and national levels. Today, FV@W released the following statement commending President Biden on his nomination for the Supreme Court:

The Family Values @ Work (FV@W) Network applauds President Biden’s nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. This nomination makes good on his commitment to “to boost minority and female representation on the federal courts” and delivers a message to decision-makers in all industries that phenomenal Black women not only exist, but are qualified to hold public office, serve on corporate boards, direct government agencies, and lead nonprofit organizations to success. In a world that often celebrates the achievements of mediocre white men and centers whiteness as the standard, today is historic in putting Black excellence center stage.

As a former public defender, Judge Jackson has served on the side of the accused and of populations most affected by systemic racism. She is also a defender of labor rights, as displayed in her 2018 opinion that ruled in favor of federal employee unions that were contesting several executive orders limiting the collective bargaining rights of federal workers. Her blocking of former President Trump’s efforts to end grants for teen pregnancy prevention signals a favorable position on reproductive health and justice. And as a daughter and married mother of two, who comes from a working-class background, Judge Jackson understands what it is like to be a caregiver while working to build a career.

Current Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who swore Jackson in as a Federal District Court judge in 2013, said of Judge Jackson: “She sees things from different points of view, and she sees somebody else’s point of view and understands it.” That empathy is needed in a nation with a crumbling care infrastructure and a struggling working class.

While the idea of having a Black female Supreme Court Judge is an exciting prospect in and of itself for us at FV@W, we know that what we see is not a guarantee of shared values. How someone will show up on issues that impact working families and caregivers really matters. Judge Jackson is not only the first Black woman nominated to the Supreme Court, she would also be the first justice to have served as a public defender when she’s appointed to the high court. Judge Jackson’s nomination is an exemplar to the Black community, to women, mothers, daughters, and children who look like her and who connect with her experiences and life. If she can climb to the pinnacle of the legal profession, surely they can achieve their goals and dreams.

Judge Jackson is a twice-Senate confirmed judge. We hope that her past experience of garnering support from Republican and Democratic Senators alike will continue through this nomination process, and that she’ll be appointed to the Supreme Court expeditiously.

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