One of three liberals on a Supreme Court dominated by conservatives, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said she has found an outlet for the frustration that can result from being in the minority on the nation’s highest court: boxing.
“I take boxing lessons,” Jackson said Wednesday in an interview with The Associated Press at the Supreme Court. “And I think that helps you to really get out any frustrations.”
There have been more than a few dissents for the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, including the end of affirmative action in college admissions and a grant of broad immunity from criminal prosecution to former presidents for their official actions while in office.
Jackson, 54, knows that the balance of power on the court is unlikely to shift anytime soon. “Progress is not always a forward march. And so this is sort of part of life. The court goes through cycles, and perhaps we’re in one now,” she said. “I mean, you can’t pick and choose your time on the court.”
While the majority opinions may not always be to her liking, she’s also added to her list of personal accomplishments in nearly three years on the court.
Jackson’s memoir, “Lovely One,” for which she has received an advance of nearly $900,000 from publisher Random House, briefly topped The New York Times bestseller list in the fall.
She has been especially gratified by the reaction she has gotten from readers to one particular part of her story, raising her elder daughter, Talia, who was diagnosed with autism as a child and struggled in the kind of traditional school settings where Jackson herself had long thrived.
“Ultimately, we decided that if I was going to tell my story, that I should be truthful about our family and what happened, especially when my daughter was young and our learning about her needs,” she said.
Readers have told her how much they identified with her family, especially since it’s the kind of story that isn’t often articulated on the public stage.
In December, Jackson stepped out on another stage, making her Broadway debut in a one-night-only appearance in “& Juliet” on an invitation from the producers who read about her performances in school. The jukebox musical imagines what might have ensued if Juliet hadn’t taken her life at the end of Shakespeare’s classic play “Romeo and Juliet.”
“I was nervous, going out on stage on Broadway, for sure,” Jackson said, but it fulfilled a double-barreled aspiration she said she’s had since entering Harvard, to be the first Black female justice on Broadway.
Jackson, along with the other eight justices, also was part of the pomp and circumstance at President Donald Trump’s inauguration, attracting attention for the white cowrie-shell necklace she wore over her judicial robe.
“It happened to coincide with Martin Luther King Day, and I thought I should wear something of cultural significance for that circumstance as well, to honor my heritage on this important day and this important occasion,” she said.
The large necklace and earrings had special resonance because the shells have long been associated with African American culture and African heritage.
Jackson didn’t comment on the Republican president or his pardoning of more than 1,500 of his supporters charged with crimes in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. In her book, Jackson described the protesters as a “marauding mob.”
But on Wednesday, she said she would not comment on the pardons “because it’s out of my lane, because, you know, pardons are executive branch prerogatives, because these issues sometimes come to the court.”
Jackson pointed to one decision, in which she sided with the Jan. 6 defendants, as an example of her effort to set aside her personal views when judging and ruling consistently and impartially. “And sometimes that leads to surprising results, I think,” she said.
The results of the 2024 election were clear, allowing the court not to be involved in deciding the outcome, as many people thought possible and some feared.
Jackson had said last year the court would be ready if needed, and she repeated that Wednesday. “We do what we have to do, or are called to do. The court stands ready to resolve important issues, and I’m sure there will be important issues that we have to resolve in the coming months and years as well,” Jackson said.
She described herself as proud and honored to be on the court, as well as aware of her ground-breaking role.
She alluded to another Broadway smash, “Hamilton,” which was the theme for the traditional welcome dinner after Jackson joined the court in 2022. The event was hosted by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who is closest to Jackson in age and time on the court, and also is a mother.
Drawing on a song in the musical and referring to the private conference room where the justices vote and deliberate on cases, Barrett had a large sign made that read, “The room where it happens.”
Jackson kept the sign and hung it in her chambers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.