Justice Jackson Unfiltered: Supreme Court Firebrand Says She’s Just Getting Started

New Orleans, LA — Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson made headlines this weekend, not for a ruling, but for her words off the bench. Appearing at the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans, Jackson opened up about her unique role on the nation’s highest court—and why she sees her judicial opinions as deeply personal expressions.

“I just feel that I have a wonderful opportunity to tell people in my opinions how I feel about the issues, and that’s what I try to do,” Jackson said during an on-stage conversation with ABC News, part of a promotional tour for her memoir Lovely One.

Appointed by President Joe Biden, Jackson is the most junior member of the Supreme Court, but that hasn’t kept her voice in the background. Known for her powerful written dissents, she often writes separately even when she’s not the lead dissenting justice—most recently in a controversial ruling where the Court limited the use of universal injunctions by federal judges.

“I write separately to emphasize a key conceptual point: The Court’s decision to permit the Executive to violate the Constitution with respect to anyone who has not yet sued is an existential threat to the rule of law,” Jackson wrote in that case.

Her blunt critique triggered pushback from conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who wrote in the majority opinion that Jackson’s arguments were “at odds” with over 200 years of constitutional precedent—and not worth further discussion.

Even liberal-leaning Justice Sonia Sotomayor recently parted ways with Jackson, disagreeing in an emergency order involving President Donald Trump’s sweeping federal job cuts—proof that Jackson’s independent streak spans beyond political alliances.

Despite the sharp ideological debates, Jackson emphasized that personal relationships among the justices remain cordial. She described a long-standing tradition in which the justices shake hands before entering the courtroom and share weekly lunches—though case talk is off the table.

“The rule at lunch is that you don’t talk about cases,” Jackson explained. “So you learn about people’s families, sports, books, and movies—you get to know them outside of work.”

A Harvard Law graduate and former trial judge, Jackson is also the most talkative justice during oral arguments, according to the Empirical SCOTUS blog, leading in verbal contributions during both the 2022 and 2023 terms.

“It’s funny to me how people focus on how much I talk at oral argument,” she laughed during the event. “I was always this person on the bench. As a trial court judge, you have your own courtroom and can go on as long as you want. So it’s been an adjustment trying to make sure my colleagues get to ask some questions, but I’ve enjoyed it. I really have.”

🔊 Final Take:

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson isn’t just sitting on the bench—she’s owning it. In a legal landscape where cautious wording and silent restraint often dominate, Jackson is shaking up the Supreme Court with a bold, emotionally resonant voice that demands to be heard. Her candid remarks at the Essence Festival pull back the curtain on a justice who sees the law not only as a framework for order but as a living conversation with the public. Whether her firebrand dissents ruffle feathers or rally a movement, Jackson is proving that in the highest court in the land, passion and principle can coexist—and she’s not backing down.