Ketanji Brown Jackson Stresses the Need for SCOTUS Justices to Avoid ‘The Appearance of Partiality’ — On Michelle Obama’s Podcast

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who is one of three liberal justices on the current court, told Michelle Obama’s IMO podcast that it’s important for justices to avoid “the appearance of partiality.”

The former first lady’s show has featured some “high-wattage guests,” including former President Barack Obama, but other politicians and government officials have been scarce, making Wednesday’s interview with Jackson all the more noteworthy. Michelle Obama, notably, has been a high-profile partisan voice in recent years, having campaigned heavily for Kamala Harris in 2024 and other Democrats.

Obama spoke with Jackson about how she has to monitor herself while working for the highest court in the land.

“You also have to watch your exposure to things so that there isn’t a bias,” Obama said. “And what does that mean for you in terms of reading the paper, and listening to the news, and how do you get your information, and what do you have to be careful about, and how are you dealing with the potential conflicts as you do stay above board?”

“You really have to be focused on that,” Jackson answered. “There are employees in the court who, in the legal office of the court, in the public information office of the court, who are assisting us in that way. When I get invitations to do things, I always have them screened by the legal office, by the public information office. just to make sure that there are no ethical conflicts, it’s not a fundraiser.”

Jackson continued:

You know, there are lots of limits on what judges can do, and I try to be very, very mindful and scrupulous with respect to that because, as you say, our obligation is to be unbiased in our approach. And so you have to then navigate all the sources that could make for an appearance of partiality, which you want to avoid. So there are lots of things that I end up not accepting for that reason.

News sources, I think, you know, I don’t have a lot of time, unfortunately. But I do, you know, the normal general media sources are made available. And I think it’s harder when you’re talking about — there’s so much social media now. This is a whole different world, and not everything is reliable. And the hardest part for judges is that we really cannot participate.

“Probably saving you some brain cells!” Obama said. “So we need you focused on your opinion.”

Watch the clip above via YouTube.

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