In the midst of a high stakes election and historic overall distrust for the nation’s highest court, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is speaking out in her first broadcasted interview since being appointed.
The nation’s highest court ruled back in July that former President Donald Trump and other acting presidents have “partial immunity” from criminal prosecution for acts committed while in office. Brown and two other justices immediately spoke out against the majority. Her official dissent said the 6-3 ruling “breaks new and dangerous ground,” according to AP News.
More than two months later, Brown remains strong in her original stance.
Brown told CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell in a sit down interview that she’s “concerned about a system that appeared to provide immunity for one individual under one set of circumstances.” The justice continued, “...we have a criminal justice system that had, ordinarily, treated everyone the same.”
To refresh everyone’s memory, Trump was federally indicted for his attempt to overturn President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory against him, including spreading disinformation and leading the infamous Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. The case, Trump v. United States, is just one of the many the former president was— and still is— facing regarding election manipulation and interference.
Despite evidence against the GOP nominee, the Supreme Court ruled he had immunity against certain criminal offenses committed while in office, and the shocking ruling sparked outrage from many Americans, including Biden himself and Brown.
The Supreme Court Justice argued the ruling set the stage for a slippery political slope, especially given that most Americans don’t even trust the high court. A PEW Research study found less than half of Americans have a favorable opinion on the court.
Despite her difference of opinion, Brown said “I fear that they are wrong. But, for all our sakes, I hope that they are right.”