Liberal Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is receiving mixed reviews after making a surprise cameo performance as ‘Queen Mab’ in the Broadway musical ‘& Juliet.’
While some social media users called Jackson’s performance ‘humanizing,’ others called it ‘cringe,’ ’embarrassing’ and unbefitting for a sitting member of the nation’s highest court.
Written by contemporary playwright David West Read, ‘& Juliet’ is a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ that explores an alternate scenario when Juliet does not commit suicide and instead explores life as an independent young woman. The musical includes a character named May, who is Juliet’s best friend and identifies as nonbinary.
Jackson joined a cast, which includes TikTok star Charli D’Amelio and other Broadway performers, for a one-time performance at New York’s Stephen Sondheim Theatre on Saturday night, becoming the first Supreme Court justice to perform on Broadway.
She wore jeans and an all-blue costume with a corset and a flowery hat. In one clip of the performance, her character excitedly exclaims, ‘Female empowerment, sick!,’ and in another, she sings the Backstreet Boys’ ‘Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely.’
The ‘& Juliet’ marketing team said in an Instagram post announcing the cameo that Jackson’s performance fulfilled a lifelong fantasy of her ‘becoming the first Black, female Supreme Court justice to appear on a Broadway stage.’
However, her decision to take the stage was not well received by many members of the public.
Conservative influencer Arynne Wexler reacted on X, saying, ‘Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson not only appeared in a Broadway show The show is a ‘queer musical knockoff’ of Romeo and Juliet. Of course Max cringe, max DEI.’
‘This is a sitting SCOTUS Justice. A lifetime appointment,’ reacted conservative influencer account Gunther Eagleman. ‘I’m at a loss for words.’
Conservative commentator Liz Wheeler said ‘Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson performs in the Broadway show ‘& Juliet’ which is a ‘queer’ rendition of Romeo & Juliet … So no, when Ketanji Brown Jackson refused to define ‘what is a woman’ during her Senate confirmation hearing, she wasn’t being a brilliant legal mind. She was, and is, a radical leftist DEI hire propagating harmful, Neo-Marxist, anti-woman transgender ideology.’
‘I’d rather our country not be run by the weird theater kids,’ influencer Colin Rugg reacted.
‘This is so embarrassing,’ posted LibsofTikTok.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk jokingly suggested Jackson ‘should sing her verdicts.’
Jackson’s performance was not universally mocked, however. Former New York Congressman George Santos reacted by saying, ‘I love this! Humanizing the one part of the government that’s never been humanized! Good on this partnership!’
Former Kamala Harris campaign writer Victor Shi called the performance ‘the most epic video I’ve watched in so long.’
‘Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson performed on Broadway, while some of her Republican colleagues would’ve spent this time flying with billionaires,’ he went on. ‘So cool. So refreshing. Justice Jackson is the best.’
Jackson has been a consistent liberal vote on the Supreme Court since she was appointed by President Biden in 2022.
