Document Type
Article
Abstract
This article discusses research on the nomination of the first Black woman Supreme Court Justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson. The study examines how emotions and feelings of connectedness to racial and gender groups shaped evaluations of the historic nomination. The research finds that Black women were overwhelmingly enthusiastic about Jackson’s nomination, but that enthusiasm was attenuated by a wide range of variables like interest in politics and the interplay between racial and gender identity. It analyzes how linked fate, a sense of connection to one’s racial group, is associated with the evaluations of the Jackson nomination. The study finds that Black women with increased linked fate to other Black women, and to a lesser extent Black people, are associated with increased pride and hope towards Justice Jackson’s nomination. These findings from this paper have broad implications for both representation and political behavior. It draws on theories of substantive and descriptive representation as well as linked fate to add to scholarly conversations about how emotions influence the political behavior of American citizens. Over the last two decades, Black women have been the most politically active racial and gender subgroup in American politics and thus this study offers significant insights for democracy.
Recommended Citation
Christine M. Slaughter, Camille Burge-Hicks, Nadia E. Brown, Black Women are Supreme: An Empirical Examination of Black Women's Evaluations of Ketanji Brown Jackson, 16 ConLawNOW 171 (2025)