In terms of career goals, it doesn’t get much higher than the Supreme Court of the United States. Yet the imminently qualified Judge Kentanji Brown Jackson admitted during her opening remarks on Monday that, just like every working mom, she has struggled to balance parenthood and career while raising her daughters.
After introducing the other members of her family in attendance at the hearing, Jackson turned her attention to daughters Talia and Leila, saying, “Girls, I know it has not been easy as I have tried to navigate the challenges of juggling my career and motherhood. And I fully admit that I did not always get the balance right.”
And in that moment, one of the most successful women in the entire country allied herself with the millions of women in the workforce who have struggled with guilt over the impossibility of fulfilling both roles at all times.
Moms quickly took to Twitter to document how much this admission of struggle resonated with them.
A user named Courtney Welch wrote, “Real tears. That hit a nerve.”
She continued in a second tweet, “For a Black woman/mother/professional to say in a room full of people on a national stage that she sometimes felt she wasn’t as present for her family as she felt she should have been is one of the most bravest things I have seen in a long time. I feel so seen.”
“It does wonders to hear someone you admire and who is *obviously way successful* talk candidly about working mom life,” wrote a user named Gillea Allison.
“I feel this so deeply and think most moms can relate,” wrote a user named Laura Trujillo.
CNN Senior Legal Analyst Laura Coates tweeted, “Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson just spoke to every working parent in the world today when she acknowledged how hard it can be at times to balance her professional career with parenting.”
Jackson continued her remarks to her daughters by recognizing the power of her own example. “I hope that you have seen that with hard work, determination, and love, it can be done. I am so looking forward to seeing what each of you chooses to do with your amazing lives in this incredible country. I love you so much.”
Another notable parenting moment from Monday’s hearing? This image of Judge Jackson’s mom and dad sitting in the front row, beaming.
