Ketanji Brown Jackson

Supreme Court Strikes Down Affirmative Action—A Blow to Equality and Democracy

Colleges and universities can no longer take race into consideration as a basis for granting admission, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday, upending decades of its own precedents that have benefited Black, Latino and Indigenous students seeking higher education.

The long-awaited decision was met with instant rebuke from legal observers and civil rights advocates. “Today’s decisions from the Supreme Court on affirmative action represent a significant setback for civil rights in the U.S. and are a cornerstone of the conservative movement’s coordinated effort to roll back access to opportunity for systemically marginalized Americans,” said Kimberlé Crenshaw, executive director of the African American Policy Forum.

Only When the Government Truly Represents Women Will the U.S. Have a Real Democracy

Women make up a little over a quarter of Congress and around one-third of state legislators. Policy can remedy inequities and create a world that is more supportive of women. When our government truly represents women, we won’t have to defend our right to exist in the halls of power, or our right to vote for the policy we need and deserve.

(This essay is part of The Majority Rules project—an artful essay and op-ed series from Ms. and Supermajority Education Fund.)

To Change the World, This Year’s Feminist Wins and Losses Must Fuel Us Forward

If 2022 proved anything, it’s that we must continue to organize and channel the collective rage that was triggered by the Court’s reversal of Roe, to not only restore abortion rights across the nation but to push forward toward our goal of full equality. There is no way the movement can be stopped.

It’s important to celebrate our wins and take stock of our losses at a time like this—because they are what will fuel us as we move forward into the new year and meet the new challenges it will bring.

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: Women Leaders Reckon With a Loss of Abortion Rights; The Lack of Women at G7

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation in politics, on boards, in sports and entertainment, in judicial offices and in the private sector in the U.S. and around the world—with a little gardening and goodwill mixed in for refreshment!

This week: Women leaders reckon with the Dobbs ruling and its catastrophic impact women’s lives and health; political strategies that deliver women real power; the lack of women leaders at the G7; democracy experts share their take on politics and the landscape for reform on the eve of the 246th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence; and more.

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.

Student Loan Debt Is a Gender Issue, Especially for Women of Color

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The student loan debt crisis is at an all time high, with 45 million people carrying an estimated $1.7 trillion in federal student loan debt. Women carry roughly two-thirds of it. Black and Brown women are disproportionately impacted by this issue. 

Economic inequality, as influenced by class, race and gender, further increases each day student loan debt cancellation is delayed. 

Celebrating Justice Jackson—As We Brace for a Roe Reversal

Roe v. Wade Gave Women a Choice About Having Children—Here’s How That Changed Their Lives

In the midst of a news cycle that’s largely been dominated by bad news, this week we were elated to celebrate the confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court—making her the first Black woman to ever serve on the nation’s highest court when Justice Breyer officially steps down this summer.

But the Supreme Court nevertheless remains dominated by a 6-3 right-wing majority that appears likely to overturn—if not at least severely gut—the Roe v. Wade decision that 50 years ago established a woman’s constitutional right to abortion.