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Ketanji Brown Jackson

Ketanji Brown Jackson

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

Appears in 3 stories

Born: September 14, 1970 (age 55 years), Washington, D.C.
Spouse: Patrick G. Jackson (m. 1996)
Previous offices: Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (2021–2022) and Vice Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission (2010–2014)
Parents: Ellery Brown and Johnny Brown
Education: Miami Palmetto Senior High School, Harvard University, and Harvard Law School

Notable Quotes

Under federal law, no such thing is required. The federal law says that the action commences by filing a complaint with the court.

Jackson has stressed that independent agencies “have long operated with a degree of insulation” that Congress deemed necessary to safeguard impartial expertise.

Her questions in Trump v. Slaughter suggested concern about collapsing distinctions between executive enforcement agencies and hybrid bodies like the FTC.

Stories

Federal rules trump state malpractice barriers

Rule Changes

Filed concurrence in judgment

For decades, more than half of U.S. states required injured patients to obtain expert affidavits before filing medical malpractice lawsuits—a screening mechanism designed to filter frivolous claims. On January 20, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that these state requirements don't apply when patients sue in federal court, creating a procedural pathway that bypasses state tort reform measures.

Updated Jan 21

Supreme Court opens prison gates wider for federal inmates

Rule Changes

Filed concurring opinion in Bowe v. United States

The Supreme Court just handed federal prisoners a major win, ruling 5-4 that they can challenge their convictions repeatedly—something most courts have blocked for decades. Michael Bowe, serving 24 years for armed robbery, asked to revisit his case based on new legal precedent. The Eleventh Circuit said no. On January 9, 2026, the Supreme Court said yes, declaring that a key provision of the 1996 anti-terrorism law applies only to state prisoners, not federal inmates.

Updated Jan 11

Trump’s unitary-executive showdown with independent agencies

Rule Changes

Liberal justice emphasizing historical practice and congressional design of independent agencies

In 2025, President Donald Trump launched an aggressive campaign to assert sweeping authority over independent federal agencies, testing the long‑standing 1935 Supreme Court precedent in Humphrey’s Executor v. United States that limited presidential power to fire members of multi‑member regulatory commissions. After the Supreme Court used its emergency docket to let Trump remove Democratic members of the National Labor Relations Board, the Merit Systems Protection Board, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the conflict escalated when Trump fired Democratic Federal Trade Commission commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter in March 2025 and later attempted to oust Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, both before their fixed terms expired.

Updated Dec 11, 2025