On March 2, 2022, Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) Dean and CEO, Jace C. Gatewood, signed his support for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic nomination, which was sent to Senate Leadership and the Committee on the Judiciary. Dean Gatewood was one of 38 Black Law Deans that submit the letter of support.
The letter begins,
“We, the Black Deans of U.S. Law schools, write to express our strong and unequivocal support for the Senate’s confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court of the United States. As leaders in the American legal academy, we believe this confirmation would represent a triumph for this nation. By confirming this honors graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, who has participated in civil cases at the highest levels and has also represented indigent criminal defendants, the Senate will not only add a supremely qualified justice to the Supreme Court, but will also ensure that people from all communities across our nation enjoy the promise emblazoned over the Court architrave that declares “Equal Justice Under Law.””
After a summary of the Judge’s credentials, the Deans conclude with,
“We, the undersigned Black Law Deans, are leaders of the legal academy educating the next generation of lawyers who will serve on our courts, in our legislatures, and in other roles in our justice system. We have signed this letter in our individual capacities, noting our institutional affiliation for identification purposes only. Yet, we are unified in our conviction that Judge Jackson is exceptionally well qualified and well prepared to serve on this nation’s highest Court.”