When word came that Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer was retiring, the spotlight almost immediately shifted to who might replace him -- and getting a lot of attention has been Ketanji Brown Jackson, who clerked for Breyer about 20 years ago. A Harvard Law School graduate, and now a federal appeals court judge, Jackson, despite her professional and academic accolades, considers hard work to be one of the most important factors, throughout her life, that got her to where she is today. MORE: Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson eyed as potential replacement to Justice Stephen Breyer She was born 51 years ago, in 1970, in Washington, D.C. Her parents, both public school teachers, had moved to Washington from Miami in the post-civil rights era. She has recounted in a 2017 speech that her parents, wanting to show pride in their African ancestry, asked her aunt, who was then in the Peace Corps in Africa, for a list of African girl names. Taking one of her suggestions, … [Read more...] about Who is potential Supreme Court justice Ketanji Brown Jackson? And the inside story behind her name
What’s at stake as Supreme Court revisits affirmative action in college admissions
The U.S. Supreme Court will once again revisit the legality of affirmative action in higher education, after last upholding the decades-old precedent in 2016. On Monday, the high court said it would take up a pair of cases that challenge the use of race as a factor in undergraduate admissions at Harvard University, the nation's oldest private college, and the University of North Carolina, the nation's oldest public state university. That the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the cases together is seen by some experts as an indication that the conservative-leaning body could be willing to revisit its precedents and end race-conscious admissions in higher education -- which proponents say will have wide-reaching implications for schools, and beyond. Some studies suggest the policies -- which consider race as one of many factors when reviewing applicants to further a diverse student body -- have had a profound effect on opportunities for minority applicants, which in turn … [Read more...] about What’s at stake as Supreme Court revisits affirmative action in college admissions
Convicted rapist speaks out from prison, denies connection to decades-old cold case
Tony Dejuan Jackson, a serial rapist, has served 23 years of a life sentence after being convicted in 1998 and 1999 of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping and first-degree burglary in the Minneapolis area. But questions about the unsolved disappearance of a local TV anchor continue to follow him. Three years before Jackson was convicted, local television anchor Jodi Huisentruit disappeared from Mason City, Iowa, where Jackson lived at the time. A journalist in Minnesota covering Jackson's case suggested to Mason City police that he might be a good person to investigate in relation to Huisentruit's case. For over two decades, he has steadfastly denied any connection to Huisentruit and her disappearance. "All that I can tell you about Jodi Huisentruit is that she has become a central part of my life since I've been incarcerated," Jackson told "20/20" in a 2021 interview from the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Stillwater. "It's been something that I've been, … [Read more...] about Convicted rapist speaks out from prison, denies connection to decades-old cold case
‘Join the fight’: Some GOP poll worker recruitment takes partisan bent
With poll workers across the country resigning at an alarming rate, efforts to recruit their replacements have grown increasingly partisan – a troubling trend that experts fear will serve to undermine Americans' faith in the vote. This week, as part of National Poll Worker Recruitment Day, several state Republican parties issued rallying cries on social media meant to attract a new generation of poll workers. Their pleas included politically charged language, calling on followers to "join the fight," "combat Democrats" and "SAVE AMERICA!" While political parties have long engaged in recruitment efforts, experts say these latest overtures mark a "notable" escalation in the way partisans solicit interest in these critical roles. "It's only recently that I've started seeing widespread use of language that implies the other side is cheating, or that working as a poll worker could be characterized as joining a 'fight,' as opposed to an opportunity to serve the community and the … [Read more...] about ‘Join the fight’: Some GOP poll worker recruitment takes partisan bent
US COVID-19 vaccine booster drive slows, with 85 million eligible Americans still without their extra shot
With the highly infectious omicron COVID-19 variant spreading rapidly across the country and overwhelming the health care system, health officials have been pleading with Americans to get vaccinated and boosted. "The doctors and data have made crystal clear, vaccinations and boosters provide the best protection," White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said during a press briefing on Wednesday. "Vaccines remain our single most powerful tool." But despite continued public urgings from the White House and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the nation's vaccination initiation and COVID-19 booster rate continues to lag, which experts say is particularly worrisome, as efficacy continues to wane overtime. "Booster shots are effective against both infection and serious disease," Dr. David Dowdy, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told ABC News. "If people don't get boosted, we as a population are more vulnerable … [Read more...] about US COVID-19 vaccine booster drive slows, with 85 million eligible Americans still without their extra shot