Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson told late-night host Stephen Colbert it was “problematic” that the high court was perceived as political during an interview Tuesday.
“I think it's problematic for the court that that's a perception that the public has, because we really rely on the public's trust to be able to do our job,” Jackson said.
Jackson has spoken to several outlets over the past week about her new memoir, “Lovely One,” as well as her concerns about Trump's immunity decision.
“I think I'm doing my best to do what judges do, what Justice Breyer taught me when I was his law clerk: have integrity, put aside my personal opinions and stay in my zone,” Jackson continued.
JUSTICE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON SAYS SHE WOULD SUPPORT AN 'ENFORCEABLE CODE OF ETHICS' FOR THE SUPREME COURT
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson joined late night host Stephen Colbert for an interview on Tuesday, September 3, 2024. (Screenshot/CBS)
Colbert also asked Jackson how he separates his personal beliefs from his judicial philosophy.
“It's something you're trained to do as a lawyer and it's something you practice as a law clerk. Because when you're a law clerk for a judge, you're responsible for helping to write their opinions and sometimes you might disagree with what they're doing, but you have to do the best you can to write in their voice and make legal rulings the way they would. So you learn to separate your own opinions from the law and the things you're working on,” he said.
Colbert continued, asking her if she was sure all the Supreme Court justices shared that view. As the audience laughed, Jackson replied, “Yes, I am.”
“I don't know why this is a joke to you,” Colbert told the audience. “It's a simple question.”
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CBS late night host Stephen Colbert speaks during his nightly show on July 8, 2024. (Screenshot/CBS)
Jackson also recently spoke with CBS News' Norah O'Donnell in her first media appearance since being appointed to the Supreme Court in 2022.
“I was concerned about a system that seemed to grant immunity to an individual in certain circumstances, when we have a criminal justice system that had traditionally treated everyone equally,” he said of the court's majority opinion in the decision on Trump's immunity.
The Supreme Court ruled in July that a former president has substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts committed while in office, but not for unofficial acts.
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He also told O'Donnell that he supported an “enforceable code of ethics” for Supreme Court justices.
“I follow the rules, whatever they are, when it comes to ethical obligations. And I think it's important to do that. It really comes down to impartiality. That's what the rules are about. People have a right to know if you're accepting gifts as a judge, so they can evaluate whether your opinions are impartial or not,” Jackson said.
