(Photo by CHIP SOMODEVILLA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Yesterday was the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States. In between the billionaires that Trump saved the best seats for were current and former government officials in attendance. Though Michelle Obama sat this one out, there were plenty of folks there who just seemed to be bearing witness to history.
Supreme Court justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was one of those who showed up to the inauguration. And her outfit spoke volumes. On top of her judicial robes she wore a jabot, that seemed to shout a deeper meaning. The late Ruth Bader Ginsburg would use her vast collection of jabots to communicate with observers (like using her “dissent” jabot to notch her displeasure at the first election of Trump). And that’s exactly what people think KBJ was doing yesterday.
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I love this so much!
At the inauguration, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wore a distinctive collar adorned with cowrie shells, which are believed to offer protection from evil in African traditions.
This choice mirrors the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s practice of using… pic.twitter.com/BX6WzvwVt5
— Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline) January 21, 2025
Protection against evil? That feels appropriate, a little on the nose, maybe but appropriate. As Vogue notes, the meaning for her sartorial choice feels especially meaningful on MLK Day.
While the shell was used as currency in a variety of ancient cultures around the world, it was especially prized in African cultures, where it signified prosperity and protection. Meanwhile, the National Museum of African American History and Culture notes that, in America, the shell is thought to be a totem used to resist enslavement. Justice Jackson herself is a descendant of enslaved people. The connection feels particularly prescient on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which happened to coincide with the Inauguration.
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The cowrie is also associated with womanhood, which feels pointed at the man who once boasted of grabbing “them by the pussy,” and whose enduring legacy is stripping women of rights.
KBJ’s jabot is a beautiful piece of art with a poignant message.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].