Jackson, a federal appeals court judge for the District of Columbia, has emerged as a leading contender to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. Biden is also considering federal district Judge J. Michelle Childs and California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger. All three are Black women.
Biden, who has vowed to nominate a Black woman to the high court, is expected to name his pick by the end of November.
The Cuban Bar Association, which was first founded in 1974 by lawyers of Cuban descent, is a voluntary association and its members include judges, lawyers and law students interested in issues affecting the Cuban community. Members of the group provide pro bono help to Hispanics and Cubans, and the group’s foundation offers law school scholarships.
Biden tapped Jackson last year to fill now-Attorney General Merrick Garland’s seat on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. That court is regarded as the second-most influential federal court, behind only the Supreme Court. Prior to her confirmation last summer, Jackson served as a federal district court judge from 2013 through 2021.
She also previously worked for the U.S. Sentencing Commission for several years as its vice chair. Before being appointed to the bench, Jackson worked as an attorney at the firm Morrison & Foerster with an emphasis on appellate litigation. She is also a former assistant federal public defender in D.C. and clerked for several jurists — including Breyer. Jackson received her undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University.