Controversial Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson faced mockery after revealing during a light-hearted Q&A that she experiences sleepless nights worrying about “the state of our democracy.”
The prominent dissenter on the nation’s highest court was responding to rapid-fire questions at an Indianapolis Bar Association event on Thursday, covering topics like favorite books and songs.
When asked what keeps her awake at night, the often-criticized justice grew serious, replying, “I would say the state of our democracy.”
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson revealed she loses sleep over “the state of our democracy.”
“I’m genuinely committed to encouraging people to focus, invest, and pay attention to what is happening in our country and government,” she said to applause.
Brown, 54, did not elaborate on her concerns or specify any particular issues.
Critics were quick to seize on her remarks, arguing that the real concern lies with the Biden-appointed justice herself, whose frequent dissents have drawn sharp criticism from many jurists, including liberals.
“What keeps me up at night is knowing we have unqualified justices like Jackson on the Supreme Court,” one user on X sarcastically remarked.
Another joked, “Having someone like her on the Supreme Court is what keeps me up at night.”
Others suggested Jackson’s comments reflect that her opinions are “informed more by emotion than by the rule of law,” noting that she has described her role as partly offering “a slightly different perspective, or a different take” than her fellow justices.
“Her unprofessionalism is an embarrassment to the bench,” wrote another X user.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson of the Supreme Court
“She’s functionally an activist, not a judge,” another critic shot back. “Impartial judges committed to the faithful application of the law don’t make incendiary comments like this in public.”
“Some of her dissents this term have been pretty embarrassing,” added another user, saying some “sound more like a Substack post than a legal ruling.”
This week, the Biden appointee was the lone dissenter in the Supreme Court’s 8-1 decision allowing President Trump to continue reducing the federal workforce.
Late last month, Jackson faced harsh criticism for her “extreme” dissent in the landmark birthright citizenship case, where she warned that “our beloved constitutional Republic will be no more.”
Conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett fired back, saying, “We will not dwell on Justice Jackson’s argument, which contradicts more than two centuries of precedent, not to mention the Constitution itself.
“We note only this: Justice Jackson condemns an imperial Executive while embracing an imperial Judiciary.”
