BIOGRAPHY
Justice Ketanji Brown, full name Kentaji Onyika Brown Jackson a name originating from West Africa, is a well-known American lawyer and jurist and the first black woman to be on the United States Supreme Court. Jackson is 54 years old and is married to Patrick Jackson. They have two lovely daughters, Talia and Leila Jackson. Jackson was born in Washington D. C. on Sept. 14, 1970, to parents Ellery and Johnny Brown. She has one younger sibling. Jackson’s parents both worked as public school teachers and historically attended Black universities and colleges in their early years. Specifically, Jackson’s father attended Miami’s University of Law in the early 1970s and became chief attorney of Miami-Dade. Jackson’s father is on the Dade County School Board, and he currently works as a lawyer as his wife is a school principal. Jackson’s parents have been married for 54 years and are still going strong.
CAREER
Jackson herself has attended Miami Palmetto Senior High School, Harvard University, and Harvard Law School. She received a B.A., Magna cum laude, from Harvard Radcliffe in 1992, and a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law in 1996. Brown also served as a clerk for Judge Patti B. Saris of the U.S. District Court from 1996 to 1997, Judge Bruce M. Selya of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the first circuit from 1997 to 1998, and justice Stephen G. Breyer of the Supreme Court of the United States during the 1999 term. Brown has worked in many positions through the decades and in 2012 was nominated by President Barack Obama to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In 2021, she was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals by President Joe Biden, marking her the first black woman to sit in the courtroom. Brown has also written a book called Lovely One, which was published on Sept. 3, 2024.
Why she has been getting recognition for her accessory choices during the 2025 Inauguration
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has been blown up on the media with her judicial collar worn at the 2025 Inauguration. Justice Jackson wore a collar made of Cowry shells over her black robes along with a matching pair of earrings. The Cowry shell is a symbol of African culture and signifies protection and prosperity. This shell represents the resistance to enslavement, according to the National Museum of African History and Culture. This is an amazing piece seeing that Jackson is a descendant of enslaved people. This was also very appropriate for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which coincidentally coincided with Inauguration Day. This has only happened one other time, on Bill Clinton’s 1997 Inauguration Day.
The Cowry shell also represents womanhood and fertility. Proudly displaying this accessory was a big moment for various women, seeing as just a year prior Donald Trump was found liable for sexual abuse in May of 2023, in addition to his continuous efforts to take away women’s rights. The weight of his actions continued to increase when, in June of 2022, Trump overturned Roe vs. Wade, which tarnished the right of choice for women.
Justice Jackson’s fashion decision seems to follow late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whose collars represented her opinions. Justice Jackson’s choice sends a powerful message, not just for POC, but for women.
Sources
- Jackson, H. (2025, January 20). The Deeper Meaning Behind Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Collar at the 2025 Inauguration. Vogue. Retrieved January 30, 2025, from https://www.vogue.com/article/justice-ketanji-brown-jackson-symbolic-collar-2025-inauguration
- Jones, R. C. (2024, September 8). Ketanji Brown Jackson comes home. University of Miami News. Retrieved January 30, 2025, from https://news.miami.edu/stories/2024/09/ketanji-brown-jackson-comes-home.html
- Ketanji Brown Jackson. (n.d.). Oyez. Retrieved January 30, 2025, from https://www.oyez.org/justices/ketanji_brown_jackson
- Beard, A. (n.d.). Life’s Work: An Interview with Ketanji Brown Jackson. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved January 30, 2025, from https://hbr.org/2024/11/lifes-work-an-interview-with-ketanji-brown-jackson
- JUDGE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. (n.d.). Www.judiciary.senate.gov. https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/judge-ketanji-brown-jackson
- Life’s Work: An Interview with Ketanji Brown Jackson. (2024, November). Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2024/11/lifes-work-an-interview-with-ketanji-brown-jackson
- The Supreme Court: Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. (n.d.). Supreme Court Historical Society. https://supremecourthistory.org/supreme-court-justices/associate-justice-ketanji-brown-jackson/
- Donato, J. D. (2025, January 21). Ketanji Brown Jackson Wore A Symbol Of Silent Rebellion At Inauguration. HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ketanji-brown-jackson-cowrie-shells_l_67900bc4e4b013c7b9fdd63f
- Ifeoma Ajunwa. (2022, March 24). The Power of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s African Name. Slate Magazine; Slate. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/03/ketanji-brown-jackson-name-african.html
