Sometimes the universe hands you comedy gold so pure that no writer could ever top it. As USA Journal reported, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson decided the perfect venue to deliver a sermon about judges avoiding political bias was Michelle Obama's podcast. Yes, really. A sitting Supreme Court justice lectured the American public about steering clear of even the APPEARANCE of partiality while sitting across from one of the most prominent Democratic political figures alive.
Jackson told the former First Lady, in her own words, that judges must be "very, very mindful and scrupulous" about navigating "all the sources that could make for an appearance of partiality, which you want to avoid." She said this during a 90 minute podcast episode with Michelle Obama and her brother. The irony was so thick you could serve it at a state dinner.
Let's remember who Michelle Obama actually is here. She's a former First Lady who delivered a nationally televised speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention. She's been openly floated as a potential Democratic presidential candidate. Her podcast is not exactly C-SPAN. It is very much a political platform, and Jackson chose to camp out there for an hour and a half while simultaneously explaining why courts need to look neutral.
The episode was recorded in May and dropped on Wednesday. Its title? "Move Through the Hard Times With Ketanji Brown Jackson." Because nothing screams "hardship" quite like having a lifetime appointment to the most powerful court on Earth, complete with a security detail and a guaranteed seat until you decide you're done.
For context, Jackson is the justice who Amy Coney Barrett has rebuked for reasoning that contradicts over two centuries of precedent. Clarence Thomas has called out her "race-infused world view." Samuel Alito once described her dissents as "baseless and insulting" with rhetoric that "lacks restraint." So naturally she's the one giving tutorials on judicial temperament.
Rep. Lisa McClain, a Republican from Michigan, summed up the whole beautiful disaster in one post, noting that Jackson was preaching about avoiding political bias while literally sitting on the Obama family podcast. Sometimes a tweet just writes itself.
Here's what makes this comedy chef's kiss level perfect. You don't see Clarence Thomas booking appearances on conservative podcast circuits. Samuel Alito isn't popping up on media properties run by Republican former presidents' spouses to chat about how important neutrality is. The conservative justices who get dragged constantly for alleged bias are somehow NOT the ones doing marathon interviews in overtly partisan media spaces.
Jackson was nominated by President Biden, who explicitly stated he was looking for a Black woman to fill the seat. She holds one of only nine positions on the highest court in the country. She has a lifetime gig with enormous power and influence. And yet the podcast framed her as someone courageously pushing through adversity.
But sure, let's talk about how judges should avoid looking partial. On Michelle Obama's podcast. For ninety whole minutes.
Read more conservative news commentary at: USA Journal News
