University News

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson speaking at UVA Sept. 18

On their first date in 2004, University of Virginia law professor Kimberly Jenkins Robinson told her eventual husband, UVA professor of practice in public policy and law Gerard Robinson, “My law school roommate is going to be the first Black woman on the Supreme Court.”

She was right. On June 30, 2022, Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in as a United States Supreme Court associate justice, succeeding retiring Justice Stephen Breyer.

Jackson, Ismail Ramsey and Robinson in cap and gown in front of Harvard Law School

Jackson, Ismail Ramsey and Robinson smile for the camera after graduating from Harvard Law School in 1996. (Contributed photo)

Robinson and Jackson attended Harvard Law School together and served on the Harvard Law Review before graduating in 1996. They have remained dear friends.

On Sept. 18, Jackson is coming to UVA at Robinson’s invitation to read from her book, “Lovely One: A Memoir,” about her family’s origins in the segregated South and her ascent to the country’s highest court. Jackson’s reading will be followed by a conversation between Jackson and Robinson.

UVA’s Education Rights Institute, founded by Robinson, is presenting the program, titled “Reflections on Education with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.” The institute, housed in the School of Law, works to advance equal educational opportunity by equipping educators and policymakers to recognize and close opportunity gaps by delivering a high-quality public education that prepares students to be college- and career-ready and engaged civic participants. It also supports educator capacity to interpret and implement protections against discrimination based on race, color and national origin.

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Getting Tickets

Registration for free tickets opens Wednesday at 8 a.m. It closes Sept. 7 at 11:59 p.m. Seating is limited and will be filled in order of registration. Sept. 18, doors at Old Cabell Hall open at 4:30 p.m. The program runs from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Signed books will be for sale through the UVA Bookstore and at the event. There will not be a live signing.

For security reasons, only registered attendees will be admitted. Registration is non-transferable, and there will be no standby line. All attendee names will be submitted to the appropriate federal authorities for screening purposes. This process is required to comply with government regulations and security protocols. A clear bag policy will be enforced, and prohibited items include signs, banners, and all types of water bottles.

A Bold Prediction

“In law school, there was something special and brilliant about Jackson, even then, and even among these very talented people at Harvard Law School and then on the Law Review,” Robinson said. “She’s also such a warm person and someone who has what people today would call ‘great emotional intelligence.’”

Gerard Robinson and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson

Robinson and Jackson are longtime friends. Jackson traveled to Washington in March 2022 to offer moral support during Jackson’s confirmation hearings. The two women pose in the room in the Hart Senate Office Building where Jackson would prepare each day. (Contributed photo)

These are some of the reasons Robinson was confident Jackson would eventually join the high court. “She’s got that unique combination of high intelligence and exceptional interpersonal skills that really can lead someone to reach great heights,” Robinson said.

Even though the pair were roommates their second year of law school, Robinson said she and Jackson would joke they saw each other more in Gannett House, where the Harvard Law Review was housed. “It’s definitely the equivalent of a full-time job as an editor on the Harvard Law Review,” she said.

The two young law students also met each other’s families. Robison recalled a visit to Jackson’s home in Miami. “Her parents are lovely people who welcomed me into their home,” she recalled, adding their relationship is “definitely a supportive, encouraging, nurturing friendship.”