Justice Jackson to Speak at North Carolina A&T
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson will speak at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University on September 3. The event will be held at Harrison Auditorium at 6 p.m. Attendance is limited to students, faculty, and staff.
Her visit to the nation’s largest historically Black university comes during her national book tour. Jackson is promoting her memoir Lovely One, which tells her life story and her 2022 appointment to the Supreme Court. The book quickly reached the top of the New York Times bestseller list and remains a favorite among readers of African American and women’s biographies.
Memoir Lovely One Inspires Many
Jackson’s memoir is more than a personal account. It is also a reflection on her journey from Miami to the highest court in the land. The book highlights her experiences growing up, attending Harvard University, and later Harvard Law School.
Readers have praised the memoir for its honesty and depth. It continues to rank highly on Amazon, especially in categories focused on African American leaders and women in law. Through Lovely One, Jackson shares the challenges and triumphs that shaped her groundbreaking career.
Path to the Supreme Court
Jackson’s legal journey began after Harvard. She clerked for Justice Stephen Breyer, worked as a federal public defender, and practiced law at two private firms. Her service on the U.S. Sentencing Commission started in 2009 after a nomination by President Barack Obama.
In 2013, she became a federal judge for the District of Columbia. President Joe Biden later nominated her to the U.S. Court of Appeals in 2021. A year later, Biden nominated her to the Supreme Court. Both confirmations received bipartisan support. At 54, Jackson remains one of the youngest justices on the Court.
North Carolina A&T’s Legal Legacy
Jackson’s speech will also connect to the legacy of legal trailblazers from N.C. A&T. Alumni include Henry Frye, the first Black chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. Elreta Alexander-Ralston, the first Black woman to practice law in North Carolina, also studied there. Shirley Fulton, the first Black female prosecutor in Mecklenburg County, is another notable graduate.
Although N.C. A&T does not have a law school, its alumni have achieved remarkable legal milestones. The university community views Jackson’s visit as an opportunity to honor both her achievement and its own heritage of leadership in law.
