Ketanji Brown Jackson likely will bring a pragmatic and balanced approach to employment law decisions at the U.S. Supreme Court, according to attorneys in the field.

The U.S. Senate confirmed in a 53-47 vote the nomination of federal appeals court judge Jackson to serve as an associate justice of the Supreme Court. In the days following the April 7 vote, observers have largely focused on the historic nature of Jackson's confirmation.

"After 115 prior justices have been appointed, a Black woman finally has the opportunity to serve—and it's about time," Joni Madison, interim president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement provided to HR Dive in an email. "This moment is powerful, meaningful, and long overdue."

The high court's latest ascendent may not do much in the near term to change the court's ideological composition by taking the place of outgoing Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, but Jackson brings a "well-developed body of employment law decisions," according to management-side attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

"Essentially, when you view her employment law decisions, what you find is that she is what we consider a pragmatist and very middle-of-the-road," said Stephanie E. Lewis, office managing principal at Jackson Lewis' Greenville, South Carolina, office. "There doesn't appear to be any ideological bias."

Lewis pointed to a series of cases that she said demonstrate Jackson's approach to certain claims under federal employment laws such as the Rehabilitation...

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