The Supreme Court is one of America’s most hallowed institutions. Made up of one Chief Justice and eight associate justices, it was established in 1789 as the third branch of government and serves as the ultimate arbiter and bastion of justice. It was originally intended to be non-political and independent, not to be influenced by either political party. However, since its inception, justices have tended to have either a conservative or liberal bias; there have been few justices that have been truly moderate and centrist.

The first female justice was Sandra Day O’Connor, who was appointed in 1981. The first African-American justice was Clarence Thomas. In recent news, Ketanji Brown-Jackson was appointed as the first female African American justice, replacing the retiring Stephen Breyer. She has inspired many women of color nationally, because this demographic has been historically underrepresented in the judicial system. The fourth female justice, she is currently serving alongside Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Amy Coney Barrett. Justice Jackson is the first justice to have been a public defender. It is currently a critical time for the Supreme Court, as many controversial topics are up for deliberation, including Roe v Wade and the consideration of race in college admissions.