Miami street named after Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson had a street named in her honor this week in Miami-Dade County, Florida, where she was raised. 

“I hope that this street naming will also serve as a testament to what is possible in this great country,” said Jackson, the first Black woman to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court justice, during the 20-minute ceremony at Cutler Bay. 

“I hope that people who are driving by might have a moment of reflection about what it means that a person from this neighborhood and someone from my background could take what this place has to offer and be well-equipped enough to then go out into the world and do what it takes to not only become the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States – but also the first former public defender – and the first associate justice who is from the great state of Florida,” she added. 

The street renaming was sponsored by Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgings of the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners. 

“As a mother, lawyer, public servant, and woman of color, the Justice is an inspiration, to say the very least. It is my absolute honor to recognize the Justice and to do so during Women’s History month,” she said in a statement. “It is not just her accomplishments, it is also her character. While most of us will never near any of her accomplishments many of us can certainly relate to her story,” Higgins said of the street naming. 

Jackson grew up in a suburban neighborhood south of Miami.

She is a graduate of Palmetto Senior High School. She studied government at Harvard University and attended Harvard Law School. She was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Joe Biden on February 25, 2022, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 7, and sworn into office on June 30. 

“So far, so far, I’m the only Supreme Court justice who can boast of being from Florida,” Jackson said. “And I’m so proud that I grew up here in this South Florida community, which thanks to all of you now has a prominent street that bears my name.”