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Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson told late night host Stephen Colbert that it was “problematic” for the high court to be perceived as political during an interview on Tuesday.
“I think it’s problematic for the court that that’s a perception that the public has. Because we really rely on public trust in order to do our jobs,” Jackson said.
Jackson has spoken to multiple outlets in the last week about her new memoir “Lovely One,” as well as her concerns about the Trump immunity decision.
“I think I am doing my best to do what judges do, what Justice Breyer modeled for me when I was a law clerk for him. Having integrity, separating out my personal views, staying in my lane,” Jackson continued.
Colbert also asked Jackson about how she separates her personal beliefs from her judicial philosophy.
“It’s something that you’re trained to do as a lawyer, and it’s something that you practice as a law clerk. Because when you are clerking for a judge, you’re responsible for helping to draft their opinions, and sometimes you may disagree with what you’re doing, but you have to do your best to write in their voice and to put out legal rulings in the way that they would do it. So you learn how to separate out your own views from that of the law and the things that you’re working on,” she responded.
Colbert followed up and wondered if she felt confident that all the Supreme Court justices shared that idea. As the audience laughed, Jackson responded, “Yes, I am.”
“I don’t know why that’s a joke to you people,” Colbert told the audience. “It’s a simple question.”
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Jackson also recently spoke to CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell in her first media appearance since being appointed to the Supreme Court in 2022.
“I was concerned about a system that appeared to provide immunity for one individual under one set of circumstances, when we have a criminal justice system that had ordinarily treated everyone the same,” she said of the court’s majority opinion in the Trump immunity decision.
The Supreme Court ruled in July that a former president has substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts committed while in office, but not for unofficial acts.
She also told O’Donnell that she supported an “enforceable code” of ethics for the Supreme Court justices.
“I follow the rules, whatever they are, with respect to ethical obligations. And it’s important, in my view, to do so. It really boils down to impartiality. That’s what the rules are about. People are entitled to know if you’re accepting gifts as a judge, so that they can evaluate whether or not your opinions are impartial,” Jackson said.
