A justice on justice: Jackson set for talk on Sept. 2 in Charleston

A fresh voice has emerged and is maturing on the U.S. Supreme Court. It amplifies dissents, and in doing so, injects common sense, while also lending a new layer of transparency to the court.

Embraced by some and rebuked by others, it is the voice of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. She was nominated by President Joe Biden in 2022 and confirmed that year, the first Black woman to ascend to the Supreme Court. She’ll be in Charleston to share thoughts on Sept. 2.
But her strong voice from the bench isn’t the only way Jackson has made a name for herself in recent months. A year ago, she published Lovely One, a much-anticipated memoir from Random House.

The memoir is disarmingly accessible and wholly compelling. In it, the justice charts her journey from cradle to confirmation in an approach The New York Times lauded as a “billowingly triumphant American tale of early promise fulfilled.”

Starting with a Miami childhood raised by a supportive family whose ancestors were enslaved on plantations, she paces readers through studies at Harvard University; the origins and considerations of her interracial marriage to a Boston Brahmin surgeon; her training in the legal field; and ultimately to the day she was sworn in at the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States.

Justice to speak to sold-out crowd

On Sept. 2 at Charleston Gaillard Center, Jackson will share insights with Charleston resident and Columbia native Richard Gergel, a U.S. district judge for the District of South Carolina.

The two first connected while Gergel was on tour for his 2019 book, Unexampled Courage: The Blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard and the Awakening of America. During a conversation for his book, they talked about her coming to Charleston, ultimately resulting in a partnership with Buxton Books and the Gaillard.

Their talk has led to tremendous traction, with the event selling out the 1,800-capacity Martha and John M. Rivers Performance Hall.

For those not in attendance, Charleston City Paper will be covering the event. In the meantime, here are several takeaways from Lovely One, along with reflections from Charleston’s legal community on what the justice’s appearance could yield.

Lawyers intrigued by event

The September event has piqued the interest of members of Charleston’s legal community. When asked to offer insights and questions, they had plenty.

Susan Dunn, retired legal director of the ACLU South Carolina, noted that Jackson brings important human experience to the bench.

“She knows what it is like to be a woman and an African American. She has represented poor people and rich people. These experiences do not dictate her answers, but they put her in a position to ask better questions. They fashion her ability to listen respectfully,” Dunn said.
Dunn views Gergel as an excellent choice to share the stage with the justice.

“Yes, he is a judge, but he is also a lover of history and a person of great curiosity. He will ask questions that we are all dying to ask and he will do so in a way that solicits frank answers,” she said.

Charleston defense attorney Andy Savage said he would thank the justice for coming to Charleston.

“It is a real honor for the members of the local Bar but even more so for our community members that believe in your commitment to the Rule of Law,” he said he would say, emphasizing the hope that the Supreme Court does not become blindfully deferential to its co-branches, “particularly on the importance of branches of government being ‘equal.’ ”

He would query how she would define the concept, and ask for her suggestions on how it could be maintained.

“I am interested as it appears that one branch is flexing its influence, another is deferential to the first, and the third is constantly demeaned and occasionally ignored by principal actors in the other two,” Savage said.

While Savage flags that Charleston claims a cadre of federal judges who are uniformly respected, he said this does not translate to the selection of Supreme Court members and some Circuit Court members.

His question? “Can you suggest an improved method for the selection of federal appellate judges to avoid the increasingly exercised political manipulations by Congress?”

Finally, Savage asks, “Why do some members of the Supreme Court think they are not subjected to a review of their ethical behavior? Do you believe their actions diminish respect for the judiciary as a whole?”

Retired Charleston Municipal Court Judge Joe Mendelsohn said he hoped to learn more from the justice about what it took to rise to her current position.

Mendelsohn said he would also ask her about one topic in particular.

“Is racism in America getting better or worse?”

For Dunn, Jackson’s voice and vision figure into issues regarding race.

“Despite a world that still smacks of white supremacy, Jackson clearly believes in hard work, fairness, and the rule of law. We need her clear vision on the court,” she said, noting that Jackson’s dissent gives rise to the belief that silence is not an option.

“We can only hope that she keeps on speaking until she is finally heard.”

A literary magnet

In Charleston, events of this caliber are becoming a new normal, lending to the city’s accelerating stature as a literary destination.

Each fall, readers from near and far flock to the 10-day Charleston Literary Festival chockful of writers recognized by Pulitzer Prizes and National Book Awards. The young-adult-focused YALLFest wrangles long lines of tween and teen readers. Throughout the year, the Charleston Library Society hosts a robust roster of considered live book events. On any given week, a host of independent bookstores buzz with authors touting new releases.

Polly Buxton, co-owner Buxton Books and the co-host of the Ketanji Brown Jackson event, noted that Charleston has a long tradition of valuing authors and ideas, and a community that is curious, engaged and eager to participate in meaningful conversations.

Lissa Frenkel, president and CEO of Charleston Gaillard Center, said it has also partnered with Charleston Literary Festival and Blue Bicycle Books.

“Over the past three seasons, the Gaillard Center has intentionally curated conversations with authors and thought leaders whose work resonates in Charleston. Our stage is a place to spark dialogue and invite the community into a shared live experience,” Frenkel said.

In recent years, Buxton Books and the Gaillard have partnered to present luminaries including Erik Larson, Ta-Nehesi Coates, Martha Stewart, and Stephen and Evie Colbert. Buxton said the venue’s size makes it possible for publishers to send authors who command a larger audience to Charleston. The venue’s frequently sold-out status speaks to Charleston’s deep appreciation for storytelling and its vibrant literary community.

Taking a cue from Jackson’s galvanizing book, it also defies some current stereotypes about the state of the cultural world. And if that surprises anyone, the justice may well take a page from her own book and recommend that those who defied and triumphed should sit back and enjoy their moment.

Lessons from Lovely One

Lovely One, which is the translation of the justice’s name from an African language, is filled with far more than courtroom prowess. The ambitious, focused young Black student who ascended time and again gathered many mantras and a persistently positive mindset. These include:

Choose your battles. On learning of a hosting hiccup by her parents after they were sold bad fish before a party, their young daughter is mystified that her mother didn’t address it with the fishmonger. It wasn’t worth it, reasoned her mother, explaining that it wasn’t worth the time and effort of a battle.

When you’re drowning, swim. Those times when fear threatened to shut down her considerable efforts, her mother would bid her to just keep at it.

Defy stereotypes. Instead of falling prey to doubts of her ability as a Black female, she outlines in the book how she met them as a challenge, relishing how surprised those naysayers would eventually be.

To dwell on the unfairness of life is to be devoured by it. This sage truism came by way of the author’s grandmother, a guiding force who had little opportunity, but remained a beacon of positivity.

Choose to be kind. The thrust of her classmate’s oration during her Harvard commencement, this lesson has long resonated with the author.