“Lifelong friends” of Ketanji Brown Jackson show their support

Confirmation hearings begin Monday on Capitol Hill for President Biden’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. If confirmed, she would be the first African American woman to serve on the highest court in the country. 

It’s a distinction that Lisa Fairfax predicted Jackson would have when she first met her in college. 

“The unmitigated joy of seeing someone I love be nominated, why I’m still smiling right now and probably getting ready to tear up,” Fairfax told CBS News’ Nancy Cordes. 

Like Fairfax, Antoinette Coakley and Nina Simmons also believed in Jackson. 

The four women met in their freshman year at Harvard University, and all went on together to Harvard Law School. 

“We met, we bonded, we became roommates, and then we became lifelong friends,” Simmons said.  

By sophomore year, Coakley was predicting that her roommate would someday be named the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. 

“I thought if there was ever an opportunity for someone that came from our background to ascend to those heights, it would be her. It had to be her. She had the keen intelligence, the brilliance, the ability to bring people together,” Coakley said. 

When Fairfax heard the news of Brown’s nomination, she was overwhelmed with emotions. 

“I just pulled over. I just sat in the car. I’m like sobbing hysterically. My hands are shaking,” she said.  

“I’ve been sending her scriptures and prayers and, you know, songs that I know will inspire her and encourage her because this is a lot,” Coakley said. 

If confirmed, Judge Jackson would also be the first former public defender on the high court.