Freeman Virtual Library

Click to read the book on MackinVia!

The uplifting picture book biography about Ketanji Brown Jackson, who is making history as the first Black woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice...

Ketanji Brown Jackson is no stranger to overcoming obstacles. When a high school guidance counselor told her she should set her sights lower than Harvard, she decided to go to Harvard for college and law school. When she became a public defender and saw inqualities in the justice system, she used her legal skills to advocate for people who needed help but couldn't afford an attorney. Kentanji is the only current Justice to have been a public defender and one of few who went to public school. Her story is powerful and heartening, and it's a lesson in overcoming adversity by being true to yourself.

Click here to fill out the form for this book & earn the book tag!

Ketanji: Justice Jackson's Journey to US Supreme Court.mp4

Book Trailer

Ketanji.mp4

Author Interview

Meet the Author

Meet the Illustrator

Laura Freeman is a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honoree. She has illustrated more than 30 books for children, including the New York Times bestseller Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, two sons, two cats, and a fish.

Meet Ketanji Brown Jackson

In 2022, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson made history as the first African American female being confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court. There have been 115 Supreme Court justices as of 2021. Justice Jackson becomes only the 6th woman to become a Supreme Court Justice. It is also the first time there will be four women, out of the nine justices, on the Supreme Court!

Six Facts About Ketanji

As a girl, Ketanji, developed a love of law as she sat next to her dad who was studying his law school assignments.
In high school, Ketanji participated in the debate and speech clubs. She was named “most likely to succeed” by her classmates.
Ketanji’s parents wanted to give their daughter an African name to honor their ancestry. Ketanji Onyika means “lovely one”.
She didn’t let a high school guidance counselor stop her from her goal of going to Harvard. He had suggested she not set her goals so high.
In college, Ketanji, enjoyed drama and performed with a group called , On Thin Ice.
For a time, Ketanji Brown Jackson clerked for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. It is Breyer’s retirement which opened up a seat on the Supreme Court for which President Joe Biden nominated Judge Jackson.