We should celebrate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s elevation to the U.S. Supreme Court. She is one of the most qualified judges to have been confirmed to the Court. Her brief service as a public defender, however, does not redress the lack of professional diversity and balance needed for our courts to police the line between government authority and government abuse at the state and federal levels.

There is a vital role judges can and should play in insuring pretrial justice. For many who stand accused, their first appearance before a judicial officer will decide the entire trajectory of their case. Being released not only means returning to a job, family, community, and home, but it means having markedly better opportunities to assist in your defense and having significantly better case outcomes. In most states, that initial appearance is conducted without the assistance of counsel, leaving an accused to rely upon the decision-making of a judicial officer.

Presented by: Scott Bales, Chief Justice, Arizona Supreme Court; and Lisa Foster, Co-Director, Fines and Fees Justice Center

Criminal defense lawyers defend the accused, but they also must safeguard the independence of the judiciary.