Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson Discusses Life and the Law at Howard Law School

By Adeshola Akintobi , Brittany Bailer

The Howard University School of Law welcomed United States Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson for a fireside chat with Roger A. Fairfax, Jr., dean of the Howard University School of Law. As Jackson arrived at West Campus, faculty and staff warmly welcomed her on the steps of Houston Hall. Jackson also toured the campus and had the opportunity to meet with all three sections of first-year law students. 

Later in the afternoon, Justice Jackson sat down with Fairfax, where they discussed her journey to the Supreme Court and her memoir, “Lovely One.” Beginning by reading an excerpt from the forthcoming book, Jackson offered insights into her career path and the challenges she overcame along the way.    

Though she was raised in Miami and attended Harvard University, Jackson has deep ties to historically Black colleges and universities and Washington, DC. Her mother graduated from Tuskegee University, her father from North Carolina Central University, and her brother from Howard University. She was born in DC in 1970, as her parents worked to secure a life of prosperity and possibility. Giving her the African name Ketanji Onyika, meaning “lovely one,” Jackson’s parents were purposeful in ensuring she and her brother knew their strength. 

“My family story has so much to do with who I am and how I was able to get to this point in my life. My parents were very intentional in raising their children to believe they could do anything,” said Jackson. “Some of my earliest memories are of sitting at the kitchen table in our apartment on the University of Miami campus with my dad and his law books and me with my coloring books. That is where my interest in the law came from, and I honestly don’t remember ever thinking about wanting to do anything else.” 

Jackson discussed everything from her speech and debate competitions which took her around the country, to her journey through Harvard University, to meeting her husband and balancing their careers with parenthood. She doled out advice to the hundreds in the room and watching on livestream.  

“I’ve been very transparent in the book about the struggles I went through in my career,” said Jackson. “I think that anyone pursuing a career, especially in law, should know that you can be successful and do the things you want to do, but it’s not necessarily going to be a straight, easy, linear path.”

Following the discussion, Jackson participated in a question-and-answer session facilitated by Howard’s Student Bar Association President Jaden Cody, allowing students to ask about her experiences and views on contemporary legal issues with her unique perspective on the role of the judiciary. Jackson encouraged students to think critically about their futures in law. 

“To welcome Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to our campus and have the opportunity to have had an honest and public dialogue with her was a moment I hope never escapes me,” said Cody. “Howard University School of Law being her first law school visit as a sitting Supreme Court Justice is very telling. Her candor, restraint in answering some of my questions, and the warmth she carries with her and allows to flow through her words are inspiring. I am eternally grateful for her visit and for having had the opportunity to represent Howard University and our student body in our discussion.”

“Justice Jackson’s visit was invaluable for our students,” said Fairfax. “She is, of course, one of the most compelling and trailblazing figures in American legal history, but now our students also can appreciate that she is a flesh-and-blood person who has encountered and overcome many of the same challenges and obstacles we all do.” 

Jackson’s historic visit to Howard Law is congruent with the school’s commitment to providing its students with extraordinary experiences that extend beyond the classroom, exposing them to exemplars of excellence and preparing them to navigate and shape the future of law. 

“It was particularly fitting that one of Justice Jackson’s very first law school visits since being appointed to the Supreme Court was to the Howard University School of Law,” Fairfax reflected.  “As the law school that produced the first African American Supreme Court Justice, we are thrilled to establish this special connection with the first African American woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice.” 

Prior to Jackson’s arrival, a pre-event discussion featured her sister-friends and college roommates, professors Lisa Fairfax, Antoinette Coakley, and Nina Simmons, Esq. Together, they explored the importance of relationships fostered in college and law school and discussed with the law student audience how to foster lifelong circles of support.