Ketanji Brown Jackson says Supreme Court risks being seen as political after voting rights decision
Source: AP
Updated 10:46 PM EDT, May 18, 2026
WASHINGTON (AP) Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said Monday that the Supreme Court risks being seen as political in the wake of a major voting rights decision.
She spoke after writing a solo dissent from the courts decision allowing Louisiana to move quickly to use new maps after the courts conservative majority struck down a majority-Black district and weakened the Voting Rights Act.
Public confidence is really all the judiciary has, she said at a talk before the American Law Institute in Washington, D.C. Everyone believes the court system is outside the political sphere. I think that means its incumbent on us to do things, to act in ways, that shore up public confidence, she said.
Polling has shown public trust in the Supreme Court at historic lows in recent years, and Chief Justice John Roberts has separately bemoaned a perception that the justices are political actors, calling it a misunderstanding.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-voting-rights-justice-jackson-d9971fd19f7a63c841e7890b89e104f6
Lokee11
(418 posts)Sorry KBJ - That ship has sailed!
Festivito
(13,932 posts)I know it's in the article but I almost can't believe that she actually said it.
BidenRocks
(3,559 posts)BaronChocula
(4,817 posts)Though it sounds like she's mitigating to the point of neutrality, she's crossing a line that doesn't get crossed at the SC. As a matter of their own tradition, they don't say things about each other that are obvious to the rest of us. They may have it out in wordy decisions, but they don't typically call each other out publicly. She opened a can of worms in what seems like a plainly obvious statement.
travelingthrulife
(5,659 posts)sop
(19,507 posts)Srkdqltr
(10,007 posts)suegeo
(3,140 posts)I am old enough to remember Bush v. Gore
Amaryllis
(11,443 posts)Whip-poor-will
(545 posts)What if they bring back lynching, will that be outright political ?
SamuelAdams
(227 posts)That was obvious long before the latest attack on voting rights.
Ocelot II
(131,462 posts)mwooldri
(10,829 posts)doc03
(39,209 posts)TBF
(37,375 posts)This court is completely ridiculous.
FakeNoose
(42,607 posts)Our U.S. Constitution used to be the model for all countries to follow if they wanted true Democracy.
Chump and the Project 2025 group have besmirched and destroyed all of it, including our SCOTUS.
Quanto Magnus
(1,388 posts)How about 'already is'....?
BradBo
(1,070 posts)Baitball Blogger
(52,764 posts)republianmushroom
(22,798 posts)Historic NY
(40,159 posts)Hello
ananda
(35,606 posts)They have always been political,
and this was always the goal.
C Moon
(13,769 posts)The rest of us have seen this for a more than a decade. If no sooner, at least with the screw up of President Obamas swearing in.
BWdem4life
(3,112 posts)Karma13612
(5,027 posts)We all knew that was not a just outcome.
Talitha
(8,167 posts)electric_blue68
(27,445 posts)mild mannered bc in public they rarely speak out against each other - while voicing their opinions on matters in their dissent.
I'm guessing she might be fuming, and hottified inside!
mdbl
(8,820 posts)awesomerwb1
(5,161 posts)Klarkashton
(5,441 posts)But did it anyway.
choie
(7,048 posts)n/t