President Joe Biden tripped over the name of the first Black woman confirmed to be a Supreme Court justice.
On Sunday, he visited the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, where he delivered a sermon.
The event marked the first time a sitting president delivered a sermon at the church where Martin Luther King Jr. was a pastor until his assassination in 1968.
“Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a nonviolent warrior for justice, who followed the word, and the way, of his lord and his savior,” Biden said, adding, “On this day of remembrance, we gather at Dr. King’s cherished Ebenezer.”
NPR noted the sermon “quickly turned political as Biden discussed economic issues and voting rights.”
At one point in the sermon, he quoted Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson — but struggled to pronounce her name.
“Those are the words of Kejan— Kejan— Ketanji Drown Jackson, our Supreme Court justice,” Biden said.
Watch the video below:
BIDEN: “Those are the words of Kejan— Kejan— Ketanji Drown Jackson, our Supreme Court justice.” pic.twitter.com/Fbhk0pffsY
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 15, 2023
Jackson made history as the first Black woman confirmed to the Supreme Court in April 2022.
He has previously called her “probably the smartest person” on the court.
“You helped me keep my commitment that I would appoint the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, Justice Jackson,” Biden told supporters in November.
He added, “And guess what, she’s probably the smartest person on the Supreme Court.”
Biden says that Ketanji Brown Jackson “is probably the smartest person on the Supreme Court.” pic.twitter.com/gIhQOTuKGz
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) November 10, 2022
Biden nominated Jackson to fill the seat left open by former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement.
She faced criticism during her confirmation process after she declined to define what a woman is.
