What started as a flashy night at the Grammy Awards quickly became an ethics controversy. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson applauded anti-ICE rhetoric during the ceremony. That reaction prompted Sen. Marsha Blackburn to call on Chief Justice John Roberts to investigate whether Jackson violated the Court’s self-policed Code of Conduct.

A Celebrity Moment Turns Into an Ethics Controversy

Jackson attended the Grammy Awards because she had been nominated for spoken word audiobook narration for her memoir. Which by itself would not normally raise concerns. Supreme Court justices attend pubic events all the time. The problem is not that she showed up.

I’ve never seen a Supreme Court Justice at a Hollywood event cheering for anti Ice messaging, until now. Ketanji Brown Jackson knows what an Ice Agent is but she can’t identify if they’re male or female. Dems nominated a DEI Justice and Republicans were too afraid to ask her to… pic.twitter.com/byzhf7IbjV

— Colette Harrington (@sweetcarolinatv) February 3, 2026

The problem is that she sat there applauding as celebrities turned an awards show into a political circus, attacking law enforcement and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

But this was not some isolated moment.

It is part of a growing pattern that makes it clear Ketanji Brown Jackson is far more interested in the spotlight and celebrity status fame-chasing than in the seriousness of the position she holds.

From “Not a Biologist” to Broadway Spotlight

We all remember her confirmation hearing when she refused to answer a basic question about what a woman is, hiding behind the excuse that she was “not a biologist.” It was one of the most absurd moments of the entire vetting process. If she can’t define what a woman is, can she even call herself a woman? It’s weird. A future Supreme Court justice could not define something every child understands.

Apparently, biology suddenly became too complicated.

Yet, only a short time later, Jackson had no problem stepping onto a Broadway stage (after she became a Supreme Court Justice) in the musical & Juliet, a trendy female-themed, empowerment show soaked in progressive messaging and proudly featuring a major nonbinary character whose storyline revolves around gender identity and self-expression.

Did you get all that?

Now, the same woman who could not define what a woman is under oath happily made a cameo in a show marked around modern womanhood while celebrating trans ideology at the same time.

Funny how she suddenly found clarity when there was applause involved.

Why Jackson’s Broadway Cameo Raises Recusal Questions

So now we have a Supreme Court Justice applauding anti-ICE and celebrating trans ideology. Quite frankly. Jackson’s Broadway cameo should raise the same recusal questions now being asked about her Grammy applause. The Supreme Court of the United States is currently reviewing multiple cases involving transgender ideology, gender identity, and sex-based law.

By publicly participating in a trans-friendly, identity-driven production, Jackson inserted herself directly into the cultural movement at the center of these legal battles. If clapping for anti-ICE rhetoric raises ethics concerns, stepping onto a stage celebrating gender ideology should raise even more.

A justice cheering on attacks against a federal agency whose work is often reviewed by her own court is not neutral behavior.

Ketanji Brown Jackson sits on the highest courts with stars in her eyes, I’ll go a step further and call her an activist, too.

Ketanji Brown Jackson Is Diluting the Seriousness of the Court

For years, Democrats and the media accused conservative justices of corruption and partisanship over flags flown by spouses or perceived beliefs. They screamed about recusal. They demanded investigations and claim public trust was at stake.

Now, a justice is literally applauding political rhetoric at a celebrity awards show and inserting herself into identity activism on Broadway, and suddenly everyone is supposed to shrug.

There used to be a time when Supreme Court Justices avoided the spotlight because they understood the power of restraint. They did not chase fame. They did not insert themselves into pop culture moments. There was a time when they respected the seriousness of the institution. I think most of them do, still, but then comes along Biden’s appointee to score DEI points.

Why the Highest Court Should Not Be Part of Pop Culture

Between the Broadway cameo in a trans-friendly, female-themed musical, the Grammys’ appearance filled with political messaging, and the constant comfort in celebrity spaces, she looks far more like someone enjoying her moment in the cultural spotlight than someone honoring the gravity of her role.

If she wants to be a celebrity, fine. Go do that.

If she wants applause, stages, and progressive adoration, she is free to pursue life in Hollywood.

But she should not be doing it while sitting on the Supreme Court. The highest court in the land is not a stage for courting fame.

Either bow out of the limelight, Ketanji, or take your final bow on the Supreme Court and chase the applause you clearly want.

Feature Image: Kolby Ari, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons/edited in Canva Pro