Against All Odds, She Became a Lawyer

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson just officially took her seat on the Supreme Court, making her the first-ever Black woman to serve as a justice in the Court’s 233-year history. 

Just 65 out of the 175 active judges on the federal circuit courts are female, and just 37 percent of state Supreme Court seats. Only 14 states have gender-balanced Supreme Courts. Out of the 115 justices that have served on the highest court of the United States, just six were women—four of whom are currently on the bench, including Jackson. In the face of recent events regarding the overturning of Roe v. Wade, we must change the face of justice in America through intentional actions and data-backed best practices to elect and appoint more women to judicial offices.