In a one-night-only performance, liberal Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson made her Broadway debut on Sunday. In a walk-on role written specifically for her, the 54-year-old justice appeared in two scenes with the cast of “& Juliet,” a feminist twist of the classic play by William Shakespeare, “Romeo and Juliet.”
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To prepare for her performance, Jackson participated in table reads, scene walkthroughs, and vocal sessions. After the show, Jackson sat down for a talkback with audience members.
Jackson, who has long expressed her ambition to become the “first Black, female Supreme Court justice to appear on a Broadway stage,” highlighted this goal in her Harvard University college application. Notably, Jackson’s appointment to the high court was made upon President Joe Biden’s promise to select the first black woman Supreme Court Justice, meeting the definition of “diversity hire.”
In her confirmation hearing, Jackson infamously stated that she did not know what a woman is, saying:
Can I provide a definition? No, I can’t.
When pressed, Jackson added:
Not in this context, I’m not a biologist.
One review of the musical
boasts its LGBTQIA+ stripes:Advertisement
Not only is the cast made up of all walks of life, such as POC and members of the LGBTQ+ community, but it also heavily features a queer storyline. May, Juliet’s best friend, is non-binary, which is both just a fact and a part of a larger storyline.
The musical also features a soundtrack of ’90s and early 2000s pop hits from artists like Britney Spears, Katy Perry, the Backstreet Boys, and Kelly Clarkson.
Jackson’s walk-on Broadway performance comes on the heels of the Hillary Clinton-produced “Suffs” musical, which bombed earlier this year.
I wrote about “Suffs” here:
Although many commentators who have viewed the musical production have called it moving and powerful, from the previews available “Suffs” seems like an embarrassing representation of women and their hard-fought rights. The feminist theatrics come off like a parody more than a historic record of women’s triumph. And yet, this staged and performative womanhood is perfectly on-brand for Hillary Clinton.
Read More:
The Antithesis of Empowerment: Insufferable Feminism in Hillary Clinton’s Broadway Musical ‘Suffs’
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Judge Jackson’s appearance in “& Juliet” highlights her reputation as an activist judge, more focused on promoting progressive social causes than upholding the impartiality expected from the nation’s highest court. Her foray into Broadway aside, a character in a gender-dysphoric love triangle only reinforces this activist persona, demonstrating that her political leanings and public image are increasingly influencing the Supreme Court’s rulings.