The International Association of Chiefs of Police endorsed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Biden’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Politico reports. “Judge Jackson has several family members in law enforcement, and we believe this has given her a deep understanding of, and appreciation for, the challenges and complexities confronting the policing profession,” IACP president Dwight Henninger told the Senate Judiciary Committee. “During her time as a judge, she has displayed her dedication to ensuring that our communities are safe and that the interests of justice are served,” Henninger said, adding that Jackson "has the temperament and qualifications to serve" on the court.
Jackson’s hearings are set to begin in the committee next week. Some Republican senators have questioned Jackson’s public defender background, labeling her as soft on crime. When Biden announced Jackson, he highlighted her familial connection to law enforcement as well as her experience as public defender. Jackson would be the first public defender to sit on the Supreme Court. Along with Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Jackson would be the only other justice with experience as a trial judge. Jackson said she had two uncles who served decades as police officers, one of whom became the police chief in her hometown of Miami. Jackson has also been endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, dozens of police chiefs and sheriffs, and 83 Republican and Democratic former attorneys general.