Ketanji Brown Jackson: Net Worth, Salary, Career, and Personal Life

Ketanji Brown Jackson has become a prominent figure in American jurisprudence. This detailed article provides an in-depth look at Ketanji Brown Jackson’s net worth, salary, career trajectory, and personal life. From her early education to her appointment to the Supreme Court, we’ll explore the key aspects of her life and achievements.

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What is Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Net Worth and Salary?

Ketanji Brown Jackson’s net worth is estimated to be $3.5 million, a combined figure with her husband, Dr. Patrick G. Jackson. Her personal assets, separate from her husband’s, are approximately $400,000, according to her financial disclosures. This demonstrates a successful financial standing for the Supreme Court Justice.

Financial Disclosure and Salary

As a federal judge, Ketanji Brown Jackson’s base salary was approximately $230,000 per year, according to her most recent financial disclosure. In addition to her federal salary, she earns $3,000 annually teaching classes at George Washington University. The financial disclosure also revealed investments in various funds. She had around $130,000 invested in an S&P 500 tracking fund held in a Charles Schwab account and $30,000 in a Vanguard fund, demonstrating a diversified investment portfolio.

Her husband, Dr. Patrick G. Jackson, a surgeon at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, typically earns around $400,000 per year. This can fluctuate based on various factors.

Real Estate

In 2013, Ketanji and Patrick Jackson purchased a home in Washington D.C. for $1.875 million. They put the property on the market in April 2024 with an asking price of $2.5 million and ultimately sold it for $2.6 million, indicating a solid return on their investment.

Early Life and Education

Ketanji Brown Jackson was born on September 14, 1970, in Washington, D.C. Her parents, Ellery and Johnny, were both public school educators who graduated from historically black colleges. She has a younger brother named Ketajh. The family moved to Miami, Florida, where her father attended the University of Miami School of Law. She attended Miami Palmetto Senior High School before graduating in 1988. Jackson went on to study government at Harvard University, where she also participated in improvisational comedy. She graduated magna cum laude in 1992 and earned her Juris Doctor (JD) from Harvard Law School in 1996.

Career Beginnings

Following law school, Jackson clerked for Judge Patti B. Saris of the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and then for Judge Bruce M. Selya of the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. She then spent a year in private practice at the law firm Miller Cassidy Larroca & Lewin. From 1999 to 2000, she clerked for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. She returned to private practice, working at Goodwin Procter in Boston and later at Feinberg & Rozen. Her diverse experiences have shaped her legal career.

US Sentencing Commission

In 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Jackson to become the vice chair of the US Sentencing Commission. During her tenure, which ended in 2014, the Commission amended its guidelines to reduce the severity of criteria for certain drug crime offenses, showcasing her influence on federal sentencing policy.

US District Court

In 2012, Obama nominated Jackson to the US District Court for the District of Columbia. During her tenure from 2013 to 2021, she issued several rulings against the Trump administration, including decisions that some executive orders conflicted with federal employee collective bargaining rights. Additionally, she ruled that agencies like the Food and Drug Administration and the DC Department of Corrections had violated certain legislations.

(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

US Court of Appeals

In April 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Jackson to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, filling the vacancy left by Judge Merrick Garland. She invalidated a 2020 Federal Labor Relations Authority rule that restricted the bargaining abilities of labor unions in the federal sector, soon after receiving her judicial commission in June. This decision highlighted her commitment to labor rights.

US Supreme Court Nomination

Jackson was considered for the Supreme Court in 2016 as a potential replacement for Antonin Scalia, but she was not ultimately chosen. In February 2022, President Biden nominated her to the Supreme Court, and her nomination was subsequently sent to the Senate, leading to confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Other Affiliations

Beyond her federal government roles, Jackson is affiliated with several organizations, including Harvard University’s Board of Overseers, the Council of the American Law Institute, and the board of Georgetown Day School. She previously served on the advisory board of Montrose Christian School for a year. Additionally, she has served as a judge in mock trials, including those held by the Shakespeare Theatre Company and the Historical Society of the District of Columbia’s Mock Court Program. In 2018, she participated as a panelist at a National Constitution Center town hall.

Personal Life

In 1996, Jackson married Dr. Patrick Graves Jackson, whom she met in college. He is a descendant of Jonathan Jackson, who was a Massachusetts delegate on the Continental Congress in 1782. The couple has two daughters, Leila and Talia. Through her husband, Ketanji Brown Jackson is related to Paul Ryan; Paul Ryan’s wife Janna’s sister Dana is married to Patrick’s brother, William Jackson.