The Supreme Court term began on Monday, and Ketanji Brown Jackson started to serve as the 116th associate justice on the high court, becoming the first African American woman in that position, Manel Cedeno reports for Palm Beach Central High School in Wellington, Florida.
“I think it is important for people like Ketanji Brown Jackson to be elected,” he quoted one junior as saying. “Major bills and laws are being passed through a diverse group of people who have had different life experiences and can work together to provide different perspectives and ideas on where this country is heading.”
Her nomination and confirmation to the Court aren’t the same as an election, but the student’s point is well taken.
“She can inspire younger generations by making them realize how women of color can also make it to high positions of power,” another junior was quoted s saying. “This can be seen as a way to encourage young women of color to put their all and create more representation for different groups.”
The Supreme Court has already decided to take on several important cases this term, including one that will determine if race-conscious college admissions policies violate the Constitution. On October 31, the court will hear arguments in two cases that could change affirmative action policies for people who want to attend college.
Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina ask whether universities’ attempts to consider race when making admissions decisions have unfairly discriminated against Asian Americans.
Two other cases that maybe don’t touch the lives of students as much as everyone in society but are high-profile all the same involve a case about voting rights in Alabama and one about gerrymandering in North Carolina, the New York Times reports.
