Catholics for Choice Welcomes President Biden’s Nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, February 25, 2022
Contact: John Becker, Press Secretary
Phone: (202) 203-0931
Email: jbecker@catholicsforchoice.org
Catholics for Choice Welcomes President Biden’s Nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court
WASHINGTON – Catholics for Choice, which uplifts and amplifies the voices of the majority of Catholics who believe in reproductive freedom, released the following statement today from President Jamie L. Manson regarding President Joe Biden’s nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to replace retiring Justice Stephen G. Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court:
“Catholics for Choice welcomes President Biden’s historic nomination of U.S. Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve as the 104th associate justice of the United States Supreme Court. A highly-respected jurist, Judge Jackson has a long and distinguished record of legal work and judicial decisions that protect and advance the constitutional rights of marginalized Americans, including women and pregnant people, immigrants, and people with disabilities. In her Senate confirmation hearing last year, Judge Jackson expressed a clear and firm commitment to the principle that true religious liberty involves both freedom of and freedom from religion, and her rulings in favor of unions, environmental protections, and reproductive justice, along with her experience working as a public defender, align with the Catholic social justice values of human dignity, uplifting the poor, and responsible stewardship of the earth.
“Catholics for Choice supports the confirmation of independent, qualified, and diverse judges and Supreme Court Justices. As the Senate considers this nominee, we call on senators to evaluate her based on her commitment to three criteria:
Will she uphold the First Amendment’s protection of freedom of – and freedom from – religion? The United States was founded on the notion of separation of church and state, and our judges must ensure we do not impose the religious beliefs of some onto all.
Will she safeguard the constitutional rights of equal protection, dignity, and privacy protected by the Fourteenth Amendment? Many of our most precious fundamental rights, from prohibitions on racial, gender, and marriage discrimination to workers’ rights and abortion rights, were established under the 14th Amendment. Generations of Americans – millions of people – have relied on these rights. They must be upheld.
Will she be committed to advancing justice, civil rights, equal rights, and individual liberties for all? We believe that all members of the judiciary must balance a healthy respect for precedent against the need for the law to adapt and change in order to right past wrongs, adjust to changing societal circumstances, and bring us closer to our nation’s founding goal of forming a more perfect union.
“The duty of the Senate to provide advice and consent on judicial nominations is sacrosanct, written into the very Constitution that senators swore an oath to support and defend. We expect senators to perform their duty both thoroughly and expeditiously. Catholics for Choice calls upon the Senate, especially the 25 members who are Catholic, to move with all deliberate speed in this confirmation process. Our fundamental rights depend on it.”
Catholics for Choice shapes and advances sexual and reproductive ethics that are based on justice, reflect a commitment to a person’s well-being and respect, and affirm the capacity of all people to make moral decisions about their lives.