Jackson Hearing Puts Focus on Public Defenders, Historic Firsts

The confirmation hearings for Ketanji Brown Jackson are being closely watched by supporters of the judge, who hail her unique career path and potential to make history as the first Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court.

But for some backers the hearings have been a complicated moment, with Jackson’s introduction to the American public caught up in a larger political fight between Republicans and Democrats over issues such as critical race theory, the treatment of prior nominees, the high court’s direction, and Jackson’s own background as a former public defender.

“Representation so matters, and to the extent that people ...