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
(417 posts)Sorry KBJ - That ship has sailed!
Festivito
(13,923 posts)I know it's in the article but I almost can't believe that she actually said it.
BidenRocks
(3,530 posts)BaronChocula
(4,793 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
(5,624 posts)sop
(19,405 posts)Srkdqltr
(9,972 posts)suegeo
(3,140 posts)I am old enough to remember Bush v. Gore
Amaryllis
(11,438 posts)Whip-poor-will
(530 posts)What if they bring back lynching, will that be outright political ?
SamuelAdams
(215 posts)That was obvious long before the latest attack on voting rights.
Ocelot II
(131,310 posts)mwooldri
(10,829 posts)doc03
(39,195 posts)TBF
(37,275 posts)This court is completely ridiculous.
FakeNoose
(42,499 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
(1,382 posts)How about 'already is'....?
BradBo
(1,064 posts)Baitball Blogger
(52,742 posts)republianmushroom
(22,770 posts)Historic NY
(40,139 posts)Hello
ananda
(35,536 posts)They have always been political,
and this was always the goal.
C Moon
(13,753 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
(3,095 posts)Karma13612
(5,024 posts)We all knew that was not a just outcome.
Talitha
(8,167 posts)electric_blue68
(27,369 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
(8,781 posts)awesomerwb1
(5,159 posts)Klarkashton
(5,425 posts)But did it anyway.
choie
(7,027 posts)n/t