(New York, NY, Tuesday, July 5, 2022) – The Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (“WBASNY”) celebrates and congratulates the monumental achievement of Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on becoming the first female African American Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. This historically defining moment will have an immense impact on equality, society, and our Country.

Hon. Ketanji Brown Jackson replaces retired Associate Justice Stephen G. Breyer.  Justice Brown Jackson’s legal career is distinguished and accomplished.  She served on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.  Prior to joining the bench, Judge Brown Jackson was a law clerk at all three levels of the federal Judiciary, including as Associate Justice Stephen G. Breyer’s law clerk.  Hon. Brown Jackson has also served as Vice Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission.  During her time on the United States Sentencing Commission, the Commission retroactively amended the Sentencing Guidelines reducing the sentence range for crack cocaine offenses and enacting a two offence-level reduction for drug crimes.  In addition, Justice Brown Jackson served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in the appeals division of the Office of the Federal Public Defender in the District of Columbia and also worked as a lawyer in private practice.

Hon. Ketanji Brown Jackson will bring not only a superior legal mind to the bench, but also much needed diversity to the United States Supreme Court.  She is, and will continue to be, a role model for all girls and young women, especially those of color.  Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of the chains of discrimination.  At this extraordinary moment in our history, another chain has been broken, and our country takes a giant step towards racial equality.

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The Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY) is the professional membership organization of choice for nearly 4,000 attorneys throughout New York State and the largest statewide women’s bar association in the country.  For more than four decades, WBASNY has been a singularly important resource for women lawyers, providing professional networking, continuing legal education programming, leadership training, and advocacy for the rights of women, children, and families.  Through involvement with WBASNY’s 20 regional chapters and its 40-plus substantive law committees, WBASNY’s members collaborate with one another on a variety of issues and perform public and community service, in furtherance of its mission to promote the advancement of the status of women in society and women in the legal profession; to promote the fair and equal administration of justice; and to act as a unified voice for its members with respect to issues of statewide, national and international significance to women generally and women attorneys in particular. WBASNY holds United Nations NGO status with the U.N.’s Department of Public Information, and Special Consultative status in association with the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). WBASNY is also a founding member of the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations.