Ben Crump calls on Biden to pick Jackson as Supreme Court nominee

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump called on President Biden to pick D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as his Supreme Court nominee, saying in a statement she possesses “the educational credentials and commitment” required for such a position.

“There will be no learning curve for Judge Jackson, she knows the law, has adjudicated it well, and is battle tested. Jackson has the educational credentials and commitment which put her in an elite with which the Court is familiar, having the same credentials as most of the modern justices, if not more than,” Crump said in an op-ed for The Hill on Wednesday.

The two have taught at Harvard’s Trial Advocacy Workshop seminar twice. 

“But through it all she’s been an advocate for and proud of our African American community,” the civil rights attorney said in his op-ed.

Crump also noted Jackson’s previous experience clerking for Justice Stephen Breyer, her experience as a public defender and her previous work with the U.S. Sentencing Commission as an advocate for reforming criminal sentencing.

“We African Americans eagerly await and demand that model: a talented African American woman who not only acts justly and upholds our Constitution, but is rooted in an experience that so many of us share. That person is Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson,” Crump said.

Crump also lauded House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) and his wife, Emily, who died in 2019, noting Clyburn was instrumental to securing Biden’s commitment as a candidate to nominating a Black woman for the Supreme Court.

But the endorsement of Jackson represents a break from Clyburn, who has said he supports South Carolina federal judge J. Michelle Childs for the nomination. The White House has publicly confirmed that Childs is among several contenders that is being considered.

During an interview with CNN last month, Clyburn called Childs “an incredibly smart woman that I believe would do well.”

“People have been talking to me everywhere I go, people tell me what an outstanding jurist Michelle Childs is, and that she ought to be fitted for a promotion,” he said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has also signaled he would support her if she received the nomination.

Biden has completed interviews with Childs, Jackson and California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger, ABC News reported. The president is expected to make a decision soon.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.