Issued February 25, 2022
WASHINGTON, DC – Service Employees International Union (SEIU) International President Mary Kay Henry released the following statement today in response to the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court:
“SEIU members, Fight for $15 and a Union worker leaders and working people across the nation are excited to back Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court. From the infamous Janus decision to the Cedar Point ruling restricting workers’ right to organize, we have seen firsthand how important it is to have strong representation on the nation’s highest court. Now, with the right to join a union as well as voting rights, reproductive rights and immigrant rights under threat across the country, it is imperative that the Senate move swiftly to confirm the nation’s first Black woman justice to the Supreme Court.
Judge Jackson’s historic nomination is a win for working people, and her impressive legal background, stellar record and reputation for fairness will make her a strong asset to the Court. In her first published opinion on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, she sided with federal workers who argued that their employers must bargain with unions over changes to working conditions. As a former public defender, she has deep experience representing people who are too often denied access to equal justice, a perspective that has been missing from the Supreme Court since Justice Thurgood Marshall retired 30 years ago. Judge Jackson is widely recognized as one of the nation’s sharpest legal minds and has already been confirmed by the Senate with bipartisan support three times. Working people across the country will be cheering as she is confirmed for a fourth time.
Thanks to President Biden’s commitment to increasing racial and professional diversity on the bench, more children of all backgrounds can imagine themselves reaching the highest heights in public service. As the Senate takes up Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic nomination, the nation will be watching to make sure she is treated fairly and judged on the strengths of her accomplishments and character — and nothing else.”