Clip of Ketanji Brown Jackson Making Broadway Debut Takes Off Online

What’s New

A video of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson making her Broadway debut is going viral. Jackson, a longtime theater lover, became the first Supreme Court member to grace a Great White Way stage after & Juliet, a Tony-nominated romantic comedy/musical, invited her to appear Saturday night in a one-night-only walk-on role.

“I did it, I made it to Broadway!” Jackson said in a video shared by the production on Sunday. The video, which features a montage of behind-the-scenes clips of the justice preparing for her performance, as well as footage of her onstage, was captioned, “Justice served.”

Newsweek reached out to the Supreme Court via email for comment.

Why It Matters

Jackson’s debut seemed to divide some users on X (formerly Twitter), with some expressing excitement about her appearance while others questioned why a sitting Supreme Court justice was on Broadway.

In recent years, the justices have faced increased scrutiny over their extracurricular activities. Book deals, which those on the Court have used to help shape the narrative of their lives, have been one particularly popular target of critics, who have raised questions about the millions in supplemental income being brought in from those deals.

What to Know

Jackson recently released her memoir, joining five of her colleagues on the nine-member bench who have done the same. Lovely One was published in September. Justices Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett have also put out memoirs.

At the time of its announcement, Thomas’ $1.5 million book advance was reported to be the highest ever paid for a book by a sitting justice. Sotomayor has reported receiving about $3.7 million for her memoir and children’s books, according to financial disclosures. Barrett received a $2 million book deal, Kavanaugh disclosed last year $340,000 from his publisher, and Gorsuch recently received a $250,000 payment from HarperCollins.

Several days in advance, & Juliet announced Jackson’s performance on Instagram. Citing the justice’s new memoir, in which she described her “unabashed love of theater” and her “fantasy of becoming the first Black, female Supreme Court justice to appear on a Broadway stage,” the show said, “Let’s make that teenage dream come true, Justice Jackson.”

What People Are Saying

Karen Finney, political commentator and former spokesperson for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, wrote on X: “LOVE THIS! Find your joy!”

Jenna Ellis, a former attorney for President-elect Donald Trump, wrote on X: “Justice Jackson appeared on Broadway in a ‘queer’ version of Romeo & Juliet…. Because of course she did. The second-hand embarrassment I got from watching this video though.”

Victor Shi, who worked on the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz presidential campaign, wrote on X: “This is the most epic video I’ve watched in so long. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson performed on broadway, while some of her Republican colleagues would’ve spent this time flying with billionaires. So cool. So refreshing. Justice Jackson is the best.”

What Happens Next

The Supreme Court is on recess until the New Year.

The justices are expected to conference on January 10, ahead of oral arguments on January 13 in a major First Amendment case and a case involving disability benefits for retirees.