Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Jackson received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College in 1973.

After passing the bar in Missouri, Jackson was in private practice in St. Louis from 1976 to 1983.

While serving as a federal magistrate judge, she was also an adjunct professor at the School of Law at Washington University in St. Louis from 1989 to 1992.

[2] Jackson was appointed as a United States magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, serving from 1986 to 1992.

On April 1, 1992, Jackson was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, which had been vacated by Judge William L. Hungate.