Photo: Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson in the Cross Hall of the White House, Feb. 25, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on March 1 evoked memories of his time as a tough-on-crime senator who crafted the 1994 crime bill. He said, “fund the police” several times during his speech, drawing bipartisan applause from politicians and criticism from community activists.
Biden noted that his Supreme Court nominee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who, if confirmed, will become the first Black woman on the country’s highest court, has received support from the Fraternal Order of Police.
The FOP is an organization made up of sworn law enforcement members. It reports a membership of more than 355,000 people organized in 2,100 local chapters, state lodges, and the national Grand Lodge.
“Let’s not abandon our streets or choose between safety and equal justice,” Biden said. “We should all agree: The answer is not to defund the police. The answer is to fund the police. Fund them with resources and training they need to protect our communities.”
Biden came under attack during his presidential campaign for authoring President Bill Clinton’s Crime Bill of 1984. Biden took credit for the law, which experts say led to the mass incarceration of Black people. The president abandoned a campaign promise to establish a police oversight commission during his first 100 days.
Biden’s call for supporting the police comes at a time when many community leaders are calling for defunding the police or for police reform. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020 police reform bill went nowhere, angering many Black voters. Floyd’s May 2020 murder by Minneapolis police while in police custody sparked global protests.
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Biden’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Jackson, comes from a police family. The nomination got a thumbs up from the Fraternal Order of Police, the largest police union in the U.S.
Jackson “has the temperament, intellect, legal experience, and family background to have earned this appointment,” wrote Patrick Yoes, the FOP National President, in his endorsement.
Biden nominated Jackson after Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement, the White House said.
Jackson has two uncles who made careers in law enforcement – one as a sex crimes detective and another who would become Miami’s chief of police, according to Yoes. Her brother also worked as an undercover officer in a Baltimore drug-sting unit, Police 1 reported.
“[Jackson] should know quite well the difficulties and dangers our officers face in the line of duty every single day,” Yoes wrote. “We are reassured that, should she be confirmed, she would approach her future cases with an open mind and treat issues related to law enforcement fairly and justly. We wish her well as the confirmation process begins.”
Photo: Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson speaks after President Joe Biden announced Jackson as his nominee to the Supreme Court in the Cross Hall of the White House, Feb. 25, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
