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It was supposed to be a momentous image: The first Black woman on the nation’s highest court, captured in a historic shoot for one of the world’s most distinguished publications. But the end product of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Vogue spread lit social media on fire this week, with many critics complaining that Vogue is too-high profile to continuously miss the mark when it comes to photographing Black subjects.
On Tuesday, famed photographer Annie Leibovitz sneak-peeked photos from what Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour called a “historic portrait” for the mag’s famed September issue, released just before the Supreme Court’s new term begins in October. Jackson made history in April when she was confirmed as the first Black woman on the nation’s highest court.
“United States Supreme Court Justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C., 2022,” Leibovitz tweeted with two images of Jackson at the National Mall. The first showcased her leaning on a column, somewhat tucked in the shadows, while the bright marble statue of Abraham Lincoln radiates in the background. In the second image, Jackson sits in the foreground of a three-quarter shot, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool stretching behind her.