MORNING HEADLINES | In a hot pink suit and sparkling smile, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson warmly presided over a sold-out, cheering Tuesday crowd of 1,800 fans at Charleston Gaillard Center.
“I’m very aware that I’m the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, but not the first who could have done this job,” she said. in reflections with U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel that focused on her acclaimed 2024 memoir, “Lovely One.”
In a conversation punctuated by a photographic slide show of her family pictures and a few seminal figures, Gergel guided the justice through key details of her trajectory from being a Miami-raised child of a Southern family to her current seat.
These included the impact of her maternal grandparents from southern Georgia, the role of her husband, Patrick Jackson, in her success, and her appointment to the Supreme Court as a former public defender — another unprecedented feat.
“I thought criminal law had the most significant stakes that the law mattered – in my view the most – because we’re talking about people’s liberty,” Jackson said.
She shared experiences with two uncles, one a prominent police chief and the other incarcerated who was serving a life sentence by way of a “three strikes” statute.
Jackson talked also of her hero as a teenager, Constance Baker Motley, the first Black woman appointed to the federal bench, who tried many prominent cases including Brown v. Board of Education and, in South Carolina, the landmark Gantt v. Clemson.
The event attracted numerous admiring members of the legal community as well as a sizable gathering of Delta Sigma Theta sorority sisters decked out in their signature red outfits with gem-festooned Greek-letter pins. There also were book lovers from the city’s literary organizations.
The evening also realized the intention of former Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley in driving the multimillion-dollar Gaillard renovation 10 years ago: to provide a place to be enjoyed by all Charlestonians.
Jackson’s visit included an interaction with 1,000 students earlier that day, who were invited as part of the Gaillard’s ongoing education and community program.
Leaning into the future is at the heart of the justice’s widely reported dissent of recent Supreme Court decisions, informed by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s view that dissenters speak for the future.
“Dissent is one of the most extraordinary parts of our American legal tradition,” Jackson said. “It is a symbol of one of the things that we value most, which is free expression. We built into our system the opportunity for opposition to the majority for tolerance of minority views. So it is emblematic of who we are as Americans. And I’m so proud to be part of a system that is like that.” —Maura Hogan
In other headlines
Schools see some improvements among mixed test results. More than half of South Carolina’s third- through eighth-grade students can’t do math on grade level, even as reading scores reached all-time highs, according to state standardized testing data released Tuesday. Still, there were some improvements.
- Charleston Co. reveals test results for S.C. Ready assessment
- Charleston Co. schools expand multilingual services, new food pantry.
IAAM emphasizes funding, Black history amid budget cuts. The International African American Museum’s “Road to 500K Campaign” emphasizes the need for funding and support to ensure more visitors can access the museum. Museum leaders say their campaign is essential to ensure people across the country can learn about Black history, the history of slavery and Charleston’s ties to it.
Charleston’s YALLFest celebrates 15 years with over 70 YA authors. YALLFest is back Nov. 14-15, gathering more than 70 authors from around the globe for panels, signings and conversations that spotlight some of the most compelling voices in contemporary young adult literature.
S.C. Ports calls special meeting after unexpected resignation by CEO. The S.C. State Ports Authority’s board will meet Sept. 3 in downtown Columbia to discuss proposed “contractual arrangements regarding agency personnel,” less than two weeks after its CEO abruptly resigned.
American Airlines adds second daily New York flight. American Airlines is adding a second daily flight from Charleston International Airport to New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) beginning September 3. A third flight will be added on Nov. 3.
Lowest Labor Day weekend gas prices since 2020. Labor Day gas prices reached a five-year low for the holiday both in South Carolina and across the country. The average price of gas in South Carolina dropped 1.7 cents per gallon in the last week for an average of $2.78 per gallon.
City of Charleston to discuss former YWCA location. The city of Charleston’s History Commission will meet today to discuss protecting and respecting the graves under the former YWCA on Coming Street as talks of developing student housing on the property are in progress.
Proposed dog leash changes raises community concerns about parks. Mount Pleasant leaders are considering relaxing leash laws for dogs, but some community members worry it would cause town parks to turn primarily into dog parks.
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