Ketanji Brown Jackson Explains Political Neutrality—on Michelle Obama’s Podcast

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson would like Americans to know that she is extremely careful to avoid even the appearance of political partiality.

She explained this while appearing on a podcast hosted by Michelle Obama.

Perfect. No notes.

Jackson joined the former Democratic first lady and her brother, Craig Robinson, on the “IMO” podcast to discuss her career and life on the Supreme Court.

During the conversation, Obama asked how Jackson avoids conflicts and political bias. Jackson explained that court employees vet her speaking invitations, ensure events are not fundraisers and help her avoid situations that could create an appearance of partiality.

The optics are objectively hilarious.

Michelle Obama is not simply a random lifestyle podcaster who stumbled into public life. She is the wife of a Democratic president, one of the most divisive figures in recent history.

A podcast hosted by Michelle Obama is a strange venue for a lecture about avoiding the appearance of political alignment.

Imagine Justice Clarence Thomas explaining his commitment to ideological neutrality during an interview hosted by Donald Trump Jr.

The resulting coverage would not be gentle.

The broader issue is that Washington’s definition of “nonpartisan” has become extremely selective.

Liberal institutions, Democratic political families and progressive cultural organizations are often treated as neutral civic spaces. Conservative equivalents are immediately labeled partisan operations.

A liberal justice can appear with a Democratic icon and the conversation remains a thoughtful exploration of public service. A conservative justice attends dinner with a Republican donor and journalists begin diagramming the seating chart like the Zapruder film.

Jackson may sincerely believe she approaches every case impartially. Her podcast appearance does not prove otherwise.

She said she has an entire team helping her avoid the appearance of bias. Someone on that team may want to subscribe to Michelle Obama’s podcast… or maybe google Obama or something.