This is how the Supreme Court’s newest justice deals with frustration
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson attends inauguration ceremonies in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C. Jackson wore a large, distinctive collar made of rows of cowrie shells. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Boxing and a cowrie-shell necklace were among the topics covered when the Associated Press spoke with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the newest justice.
Jackson, confirmed in 2022, is one of three liberal justices on the nine-member court, and she has written “more than a few dissents,” the AP article says. But she has found a way to deal with disappointment.
“I take boxing lessons,” Jackson told the AP. “And I think that helps you to really get out any frustrations.”
Jackson also commented on the cowrie-shell necklace that she wore with her judicial robe at President Donald Trump’s second inauguration in January. The shells, which come from sea snails, have long been part of African culture.
At the time, pundits wondered whether the shells were intended to mimic the “dissent jabot” worn by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg when she read dissenting opinions and when she appeared at the court a day after Trump won the 2016 presidential election.
Jackson instead emphasized the cultural significance of the shells. Trump’s inauguration, she told the AP, “happened to coincide with Martin Luther King Day, and I thought I should wear something of cultural significance for that circumstance, as well, to honor my heritage on this important day and this important occasion.”
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