Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is something special. She was the lone dissenter in an 8-1 ruling this March that Colorado's law banning "conversion therapy" for sexual orientation or gender identity is unconstitutional. Even her fellow liberal justices have written critically about her arguments.
She's a bit different. In 2024, she appeared in a walk-on role on Broadway that was custom-written for her. "I did it! I made it to Broadway!" she exclaimed. Now, she's on the "America at 250" cover of Essence, which declares her "the people's champion."
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson graces the cover of ESSENCE. pic.twitter.com/USDPmZZLxK
— Pop Base (@PopBase) July 5, 2026
A judge is not supposed to be anyone's champion. That's why they're a judge.
— Holden (@Holden114) July 6, 2026
Her job is to interpret the law.
— melanie haber 🏴☠️ (@melsorbit) July 5, 2026
That's it.
Not to be anyone's 'champion'.
Justices should not be champions for “the people” (which I am assuming in this case just means “woke nonsense”). She should be a champion for the law. Let politicians champion the people.
— Lorgo Jibby (@LorgoJibby) July 6, 2026
Supreme Court justices are not supposed to be activists
— Jane Keeper (@KeeperJane50739) July 5, 2026
What qualifies her as the “The People’s Champion”?
— Brian De (@Brian_DeFran5) July 6, 2026
Sorry, I hate stuff like this. Ketanji Brown Jackson isn't supposed to be "the people's champion." She's not a politician. She's supposed to *interpret* the law, not make it. This kind of thing is why so many people misunderstand how our government works at a basic level. https://t.co/HEuLZ0ZcKE
— Billy Binion (@billybinion) July 5, 2026
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Part of the problem may be that she herself misunderstands it.
— David Gaw (@davidgaw) July 5, 2026
"This kind of thing is why so many people misunderstand how our government works at a basic level."
— Tim Hulsey (@hulsey_ryan) July 5, 2026
... including, one suspects, Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Totally get the sentiment, but I consider Thomas and Alito (and Scalia before them) to have been champions for the people-- the people who care about the Constitution. The left views KBJ as a champion for her judicial activism, which is the sin of legislating from the bench.
— Mark Davis (@MarkDavis) July 6, 2026
Absolutely correct. Her being on the cover in and of itself isn’t the problem. The problem is that they removed her title of Justice and replace it with “the people’s champion”. Thats an issue and unbelievably inappropriate
— joshua jackson (@chelseamusic123) July 6, 2026
Worse, it destroys people's faith in our judicial system. Then again Jackson's writings make it clear. That is her goal.
— Gary Doyle (@GetInTheGame18) July 6, 2026
What's worse is that KBJ doesn't realize what her job is. This is really shamefully inappropriate.
— Mark Benedict (@MarkBen03057064) July 5, 2026
And she's excited!
She's on the bench to advance progressive causes, which, to Essence, makes her the people's champion.
So, to sum this up.....
— Lesley Stover (@lesley_stover) July 6, 2026
On the cover of a nationally circulating magazine, it is admitted that we have an activst on the SCOTUS.
And she POSED and is celebrating this.
Wild.
To be fair, she probably didn't know what text they were going to superimpose over her photo, but we have a feeling she has no problem with it, either.
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