THE GORSUCH/JACKSON AXIS:

[J]ackson also demonstrated a willingness to part ways with her liberal colleagues, even when they were on the same side of an issue, to express her own vision of the law. She authored more solo dissenting opinions -- three -- than any of the three most recent justices to join the court did as newbies.

The big conservative wins, and mixed messages, of this Supreme Court term

And Jackson surprised some observers by teaming up several times with conservative Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, typically in cases involving a conflict between government power and the rights of individuals.

"She was not going to sit on the sidelines. She dove in and made her presence known," said New York University law professor Melissa Murray, who also was among the attorneys Biden considered nominating to fulfill his promise to name the first Black female justice to succeed Stephen G. Breyer.

Biden "may have been looking for a Black woman, but she wasn't just any Black woman," Murray said. "She was excellent and prepared and made a critical difference in a number of cases."

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