As senior members of Salt Lake County’s criminal justice and law enforcement system, we would like to offer a perspective on President Joe Biden’s nomination of Judge Kentaji Brown Jackson to be the next Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States.
We are extremely pleased to support Judge Jackson’s nomination. As members of the law enforcement and criminal justice system working on complex challenges on the ground in Salt Lake County every day, we are each deeply committed to advancing justice and progress in the criminal justice arena and believe that an engaged and knowledgeable Supreme Court is a critical element of that progress and success.
While serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Judge Jackson has proven her abilities as one of the brightest legal minds with a deep dedication to the rule of law. Additionally, as a former clerk for Justice Breyer, the very person she is nominated to replace, she knows the working of the Supreme Court. Additionally, her credentials include serving as a federal appellate judge, a federal district court judge, a member of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, an attorney in private practice, and as a federal public defender. If confirmed, she would be only the second justice currently on the bench with such extensive trial court experience.
Additionally, Judge Jackson has an understanding of the complexities of law enforcement as she comes from a law enforcement family with uncles and a brother who have served as law enforcement officers and one as a chief of police. As a Supreme Court justice, that lived experience will place her in an excellent position to effectively navigate the complexities of cases presented in the criminal justice arena.
Judge Jackson’s deep and broad experience leads us to strongly support her historic nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. We are confident she will uphold the rule of law and will apply a strong professional and practical lens to the Supreme Court’s critical role in providing justice to all Americans.
Jenny Wilson, Salt Lake County mayor; Sim Gill, Salt Lake County district attorney; Rosie Rivera, Salt Lake County sheriff; Rich Mauro, Director of Salt Lake Legal Defender Association
