From Public Defender to Beefing With Marjorie Taylor Greene: Who Is Jasmine Crockett?

Black women aspiring to pursue a career in politics have a new role model to look up to: Jasmine Crockett. The 43-year-old has long been fighting for the rights of others (and looking fabulous while doing it), but this spring her name is on the tip of many tongues in light of her feud with Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. We’ve seen endless discourse about how the women handled their beef; while both sides are being criticized for different reasons, Americans are learning more about what Crockett has accomplished during her time as a lawmaker and how they can help her.

Born on March 29th, 1981 in Missouri, Crockett attended the Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School as a young girl. Though she’s of Baptist faith, she finished out her childhood education at an all-girls Catholic high school called Rosati-Kain. In 2003, the changemaker graduated from Rhodes College with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration. Politics is a passion now, but Jasmine Crockett first had thoughts of becoming an anesthesiologist or certified public accountant. After experiencing hate crimes in college, however, the black-haired beauty decided to pursue law school, graduating from the University of Houston Law Center in 2006 with a Juris Doctor. During her studies, Crockett became a proud member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Exploring the St. Louis Native’s Political Career

From Public Defender to Texas State Representative

Before making a name for herself, Crockett worked tirelessly in the Bowie County Public Defender’s Office to keep children safe and out of jail. Her passion for justice and the protection of human rights led her down this career path; she’s now licensed to practice law in Texas, Arkansas and Federal Courts. After establishing a strong reputation in the area, the public figure opened her own firm and represented over 400 Black Lives Matter protesters pro bono.

All her years of experience only helped Crockett grow more confident in her role, eventually becoming a Texas State Representative. The Democrat icon challenged Lorraine Birabil in the party’s 2020 primary and narrowly championed in a runoff. She then won the general election unopposed and assumed office in January 2021. During the 87th Legislative Session in Texas, Crockett was the youngest Black lawmaker and only Black freshman, filing more bills than any of her contemporaries. This was a powerful time in the 43-year-old’s career, allowing her to assemble a wide coalition that passed landmark criminal justice reforms in the House. Thanks to her hard work, she also brought more accessibility and accountability to her office than ever before while helping to found the Texas Progressive Caucus and the Texas Caucus on Climate, Energy and the Environment.

What Has Jasmine Crockett Achieved as a US Congresswoman?

As Chairwoman Eddie Bernie Johnson announced her retirement from Texas’ 30th District, she simultaneously confirmed her support for Jasmine Crockett to assume the role. Other notable names stood behind the Rhodes College alum, including embattled crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman Fried, who donated $1M to her campaign through his Protect Our Future PAC. “Congresswoman Crockett hopes to continue to build on the legacy of Chairwoman Johnson, and will fight to expand access to healthcare, voting rights, economic opportunity, and dignity for all,” her official biography states.

“She will fight to protect Medicare, Social Security, and expand critical social safety net programs. She will continue to be a tireless advocate for civil liberties, immigrant rights, and economic equity for women and the diverse communities across the State of Texas,” it also declares. It’s worth noting that Crockett is one of the few Black women to ever have been elected to Democratic House Leadership. She’s a member of the Black Caucus, Equality Caucus and Progressive Caucus, meanwhile, her committee assignments include Agriculture, Oversight and Accountability and a select subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. According to the New York Times, the lawmaker voted to support Israel following the 2023 Hamas attack on the nation; in April 2024, she and most other Democrats were in favor of three military aid package supplementals for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

Her Drama With Marjorie Taylor Greene

After a video of her in-House verbal scuffle with Greene went viral, there’s been a lot of talk about Jasmine Crockett. At the time, both women were attending a hearing to discuss holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress. Republicans are moving forward with charges against the AG for not complying with subpoenas related to audio recordings from an investigation into President Biden’s handling of classified documents. After Crockett suggested that Greene was unaware of the purpose of the hearing, the 49-year-old shot back with a comment about the Democrat’s appearance.

“I think your fake lashes are messing up what you’re reading,” Greene said, causing chaos to unfold in the room. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) both got involved, convincing the often-controversial Republican to strike her words. Still, she refused to apologize and insulted AOC’s intelligence in the process. It was eventually ruled by Comer that Greene wasn’t violating House rules by bringing up Crockett’s appearance, leading the latter to ask a now-viral question about the verdict.

“I’m just curious, just to better understand your ruling: If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody’s bleach blonde, bad-built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct?” the St. Louis-born politician shadily asked, causing more tension to brew. In the time since, Crockett has been speaking out in her defense, even plotting some creative money moves to ensure the Democrats capitalize off the viral incident.

What Has Jasmine Crockett Said About the Situation?

The former sorority sister spoke out in a rant on X on May 16th, writing, “So MTG wanted to talk about my appearance in COMMITTEE?! This is what happens when mentally deficient people who can’t read and follow rules or just don’t give a damn… somehow end up in CONGRESS.” Crockett doubled down when speaking to the press afterward, explaining that she’s noticed this behavior in the past, attributing it to racism.

“A lot of times when I would go viral, instead of them trying to address the things that I laid out in a very factual way, what they would try to do is say, ‘Oh, look at her hair,’ or ‘Look at her nails,’ or ‘Look at her lashes.’ They would all then associate anything I do as a form of beautification with being ‘ghetto,'” the fashionista recalled. “I’m not the only woman in Congress that wears lashes, and there are women on her side of the aisle that wear lashes, as well as hair extensions. But she’s never felt like that was a dig she needed to take at anyone except for me, a Black woman who sits on the committee.”

Rather than allowing hate to put up barriers, Jasmine Crockett is coming out of this situation with a renewed tenacity in her spirit. She recently filed a trademark application for the rights to “bleach blonde bad-built butch body” after teasing a “clapback collection” of merch promoting her clever wordplay. “The money will go to ensuring that we have a Democratic House! Give me a little time to really get the swag online,” Crockett told her followers. According to USA Today, the phrase could appear on items like hats, hoodies, socks and t-shirts, or we might see the mastermind behind the alliteration use it in a political consultancy capacity.