Friday, February 25, 2022

Jackson Chosen By Biden For Supreme Court: Little Record On Religion Issues

President Biden has announced that he will nominate D.C. Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to succeed Justice Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court. She was a former clerk for Breyer.  Jackson has very little public record on church-state and free exercise issues.  I have been able to locate only one religion case (a Title VII case) in which she has written an opinion as either federal district or circuit court judge: Tyson v. Brennan, 306 F.Supp. 365) (D DC, Sept. 27, 2017).  It appears that the most extensive indication of her views on the religion clauses are found in her Responses to Questions for the Record in connection with her nomination to the D.C. Circuit (at pages 16, 18, 26, 27, 28, 35, 41, 49, 58, 63, 73, 74). There appears to be no reliable information available about Jackson's own religious affiliation.  Americans United for Separation of Church and State has issued a statement supporting her nomination.