Past Campaign: Confirm KBJ!

Justice Stephen Breyer announced that he will retire at the end of this Supreme Court term upon confirmation of his successor, and President Biden reiterated his promise of nominating the first Black woman to the Supreme Court. The time has come, President Biden has just nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson, and we need to take action to get her confirmed.

Having a Black woman seated on the Supreme Court is way overdue. Ketanji Brown Jackson’s background and experience make her an excellent choice for the U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has had a distinguished career as an attorney and jurist. She was confirmed three times by the U.S. Senate with bipartisan support. She served for eight and a half years on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia and was confirmed to the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in 2021. Her record as a judge demonstrates that she is a fair, impartial jurist with a clear commitment to protecting the constitutional rights of all people. Before her time as a federal judge, Judge Jackson’s experience included service on the U.S. Sentencing Commission and in the District of Columbia’s Office of the Federal Public Defender.

Ketanji Brown Jackson will make the nation proud during her years of service on the highest court in the land. Ketanji Brown Jackson will bring brilliance, unquestioned qualifications, and sound judicial temperament to the Supreme Court.

We need to make sure that the Senate moves swiftly to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson. Republican Senators are already trying to tear her down by claiming that she is not qualified and unfit, but we cannot allow these bigoted attacks to shape public perceptions or stop her confirmation.

To learn more about Ketanji Brown Jackson, visit our sister organization Alliance for Justice.

It’s time to take action and tell the Senate to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson! See the various ways that you can take action below.

Call your Senators today at (202) 224-3121 and tell them to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson!

My name is [name], and I’m a constituent from [city] calling to ask Senator [X] to ask you to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson because we need a Black woman committed to equal justice for all on the Supreme Court.

Having a Black woman seated on the Supreme Court is way overdue. We need a court that reflects the demographic and professional diversity of this country, and by confirming a Black woman to the bench we are one step closer to achieving that diversity. We need a judge who will protect the rights of all of us, not just the wealthy and powerful. I believe that Ketanji Brown Jackson will fight for our rights and is eminently qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. I urge Senator [X] to move swiftly to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson. Thank you.

After you’ve called, ask 5 friends to call!

Write a Letter to the Editor

Tips:

• Be clear, timely, concise: Before submitting your piece, check your paper’s guidelines on length. Use the above key talking points and sample Letter to the Editor text to get your point across concisely but remember to connect these issues to your local area.
• Include a Call to Action: Be sure your letter makes a clear ask of your senators, such as calling for them to support President Biden’s nominee. Talk about the importance of protecting health care, civil rights, workers, LGBTQ+ equality, and more for millions and maintaining a fair and independent Supreme Court, not one beholden to politicians.
• Be Current: Check your newspaper so you can respond to a recent article or a recent event in your area. When submitting your piece, make sure you refer to the article specifically by name and date. This will make it much more likely that your piece is published.
• Maximize your letter’s impact: If your letter is printed, send a copy to your senators’ offices! And remember, Senators often search for the issues that their constituents care about in local papers.

Sample Letter to the Editor

Please consider signing and submitting the draft Letters to the Editor below regarding the importance of confirming President Biden’s historic Supreme Court nominee and filling all federal judiciary vacancies by 2023. Most publications have a 150-to-200-word limit for letters to the editor, so each example below is under that word count.

Word Count: 192

To the Editor,

In response to [Insert Name of Paper]’s article [Insert title of article], I wanted to highlight a bit of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s unquestioned qualifications. She has strong support among people across the ideological spectrum because her record as a judge and lawyer demonstrates that she is a fair, impartial jurist, dedicated to protecting the fundamental rights of all litigants.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has indicated that he is planning to move Ketanji Brown Jackson quickly through the Senate confirmation process. She has been confirmed by the Senate three times, twice without opposition, and already has a distinguished career as a jurist.

While this historic nomination is a major victory for our country, President Biden and the Senate Democrats must not lose sight of filling the 100 other federal judicial vacancies. If Democrats lose majority of the Senate in November, they are risking all of President Biden’s judicial nominations being blocked by Republicans in 2023. There is no time to waste. The president and Senate must keep up their momentum by selecting and confirming judges to fill all federal vacancies by the end of this year.

Thank you,
[[NAME]]

Social media can help you use your network to build the movement for fair courts. Adding your voice to the conversation, and using it to amplify the other actions you’re taking, can help hold your senators accountable.

Quick tips:

• Tag your senators: Look up your senators’ social media handles. Tag them in relevant posts, and tweet directly at them. Encourage your friends and followers to do the same. Use the hashtags #AJusticeForAll & #CourtsMatter. Check AFJ Action’s social media and share and help amplify our messages.
• Utilize hashtags: #JusticeForAll, #CourtsMatter, #ConfirmJackson
• Retweet, Share, Like: Engage with other users talking about your issue by retweeting, liking, and sharing their content. Ask your followers to retweet and share your posts if they agree
• Build and engage an audience: Ask questions, make polls, and post other content that encourages your followers to engage with you and the issue. Send out new resources that will help people learn more about the courts.

• Ask them to make calls with you
• Write LTEs together
• Attend town halls, schedule meetings with your Senator, visit a district office

In addition to most of the above, organizations can contact senators they are close to, send organizational letters of support, and circulate petitions calling for senators to support President Biden’s nominee.

Mobilize your networks, members, constituents: Send an action alert to your list urging them to call, write, or otherwise contact their senators demanding that they support this nomination.

Amplify your position: Host a panel discussion, a press event, or a visibility action on the importance of the judiciary in protecting our rights. Pair these or letters with a press release, op-ed, or letter to the editor in local, state, and national publications. Amplify your organization’s position on social media.

Sample alert:

Dear friends,

President Biden has nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the Supreme Court, and we need the Senate to move swiftly on her confirmation. This is a historic nomination that will move us one step closer to having a court that reflects the diversity of this country.

We need a justice for all. The senate must confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.  

When judges and justices come from a diverse set of backgrounds, courts make better decisions that reflect a wider variety of perspectives. Ketanji Brown Jackson’s background and experience make her an excellent choice to be our first Black woman Supreme Court Justice. This nomination is a major step towards fulfilling President Biden’s promise to prioritize experiential diversity on the federal bench.

Republican Senators are already opposing Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination. Our courts are our last line of defense. Don’t allow Senate Republicans to block a qualified Supreme Court Justice. We must protect our healthcare, and our democracy.

It is our job to protect our courts. Call your senators today and tell them: Confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson!