St. Joseph County Black woman judges stand on Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's shoulders

On the first day of confirmation hearings in March for then-Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, now the first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, a photographer captured a photo of Jackson's daughter looking at her mother with pride and profound joy.

Now, nearly three weeks into Jackson's tenure on the court, the photo continues to resonate with Judge Cristal Brisco as she reflects on the day she was sworn in as St. Joseph County's first Black woman Magistrate in 2018.

"My husband sent me a picture that someone had taken from my investiture with our two girls, and the way they were looking up at me,” said Brisco. “And that was just … it was powerful because it does have meaning.”

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For Brisco and other area residents, including fellow St. Joseph County Superior Judge Stephanie Steele, Jackson’s appointment to the supreme court is a historic moment that will have a positive impact both nationally and locally.

“It’s an important moment not just for women, or Black women, but for all people,” Steele said, also a Black woman.

‘Sisters-in-law'

Mirroring Jackson’s national appointment, Brisco and Steele have both broken barriers in recent years. Both women are currently superior court judges, and the pair worked together previously. Brisco hired Steele as an assistant city attorney in 2015 when the former was South Bend's corporation counsel.

“I refer to Judge Steele as ‘sisters-in-law,’” Brisco said with a laugh at the legal pun.

Brisco’s appointment to magistrate on the county’s circuit court in 2018 marked the first time a Black woman served in a judicial capacity in St. Joseph County. In the spring of 2021, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb appointed Steele to the St. Joseph County Superior Court, making her the first Black woman to hold a position on the superior court before Brisco joined her a few months later.

“It’s not lost on me how many other people could have done a really great job and were not selected,” Steele said. “So it’s very humbling to be the first appointed. It is also kind of surprising that it’s 2021 and I’m the first appointed Black female judge.”

Brisco also felt humbled when she was invested as a judge, but said it was “mind-boggling” when she found out she was the first Black woman to ever serve. She now handles civil cases in addition to overseeing one of Indiana’s 10 commercial courts that deal with business litigation.

“When you consider the judicial branch consists of magistrate judges, superior court judges, commissioners, referees and to be told ‘You’re the first woman of color,’ it’s pretty astounding.”

Representation

What Jackson’s presence on the court means from a practical perspective is hopefully an increased trust in the judicial system, both locally and nationally.

In general, Steele and Brisco say, the more shared experience there is between participants in a system and the people deciding outcomes, the better. In the judicial system, that shared experience has not been historically realized for women and people of color, making Jackson’s appointment all the more important.

Brisco went through that process first-hand as a young attorney who was almost always the only Black woman in the room. Now she can see her experience helping others, saying she’s noticed how Black attorneys sometimes appear relieved when they see her walk out to take her seat on the bench.

“Frankly, it was one of those things that could be a little intimidating to walk into a room and see that no one looks like you. With age and experience you get a maturity level that you realize that your voice matters and truly adds value and you see the results of having that diverse voice at the table,” Brisco said.

Darryl Heller, the director the Civil Rights Heritage Center at Indiana University South Bend, noted judges of color also are likely to have more empathy, or at least understanding, surrounding circumstances or situations defendants of color face.

“Having Ketanji Brown Jackson at the top of the court but having local justices who represent a broader and more diverse swath of our community is significant,” Heller said.

While Steele acknowledges race and gender play a large role in representation, she also uses personal experiences, like growing up with a father who worked a factory job, to relate to people who come through her courtroom.

Next generation

The impact of Jackson’s appointment also reaches beyond the current judiciary, with local law school students rethinking what their careers may hold.

Jazmyn Ferguson, who’s in her second year of law school at Notre Dame and is vice president of the Black Law Students Association, knew going into law school that most of her classmates would be white and at times, she felt lost or uncertain about her future. However, seeing Jackson in the news motivated her to push on with her studies.

Ferguson, who’s originally from St. Louis, added she vividly remembers watching Jackson’s confirmation hearings in the spring as part of her classes, saying the experience brought the Black law school community together.

“It was like seeing the glass ceiling broken in real time,” she said.

Other Notre Dame law students, such as Jakim Aaron, who is president of the Black Law Students Association, are reimagining what their careers may hold in light of Jackson’s ascension. Aaron wasn’t thinking about becoming a judge before this year; however, he’s giving the idea more thought in light of Jackson’s appointment.

“There are no words to encapsulate how important that is," Aaron said. "Because it really does show us that there’s no limit on what we can do in the space. I think that before this historic moment, there was a limit."

While groundbreaking appointments on the national level can act as a catalyst, it’s also important for young people of color to get encouragement from mentors in their fields, Brisco said.

An alumni and board member of the Notre Dame Law School, Brisco said she advocates for the judiciary when talking to students because it wasn’t something she thought about until later in her career when some of her friends suggested the idea.

Steele, too, said she hadn’t thought about applying for a judicial position until former Superior Court Judge Jane Woodword Miller spoke to her about it. Steele was honored by Miller’s encouragement, but looking back, she’s not sure why it took her mentor to point out that possibility.

“Maybe it has something to do with never having seen a female Black judge in our county,” Steele said. “It was never something I thought of as being a possible role for me. Now that you’re pointing that out, I’m thinking about it.”

Email Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@sbtinfo.com. Follow him on Twitter: @marek_mazurek

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend reacts to Ketanji Brown Jackson joining the Supreme Court