Turner reflects on attending 'remarkable' Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's Supreme Court confirmation

After attending the historic confirmation ceremony for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who is set to be the first Black woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court, Mayor Sylvester Turner shared his reflections on the “remarkable” event. Turner traveled to Washington for the ceremony Friday. As Jackson spoke on the White House Lawn, Turner said her acknowledgment of historical Black figures who “helped light the way” such as Martin Luther King Jr., Justice Thurgood Marshall and Judge Constance Baker Motley made him ruminate on those who “helped make this day a reality.”

“I also thought about Federal Judge Gabrielle Kirk McDonald, the first African American appointed to the federal bench in Texas and only the third African American woman federal judge in the country,” he said in a statement. “All these individuals have played a part in moving our nation forward and creating opportunities for many to succeed and carry the torch.” Turner said he thought of the Black women in his life, as he watched Jackson and Vice President Kamala Harris stand on either side of President Joe Biden. “I also remembered my upbringing and my mother's sacrifices to help me get to where I am,” he said. The mayor said the event sent a message to children that, “if they work hard and stay the course, they can become a Justice of the United States Supreme Court or whatever they dream of being.” On Thursday, before watching the Senate vote on Jackson’s confirmation on television at City Hall, Turner spoke to children at an Acres Homes elementary school, telling them to pursue their dreams. “With the swearing-in of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the United States Supreme Court will look more like America,” said Turner. “I was honored and humbled to attend today's ceremony, and I thank the President and First Lady for the invitation to witness history.”