The Senate will confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to be the first Black, female Supreme Court justice on Thursday, The Hill reports.
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) locked in a deal — which requires the buy-in of all 100 senators — to hold an initial vote on Jackson’s nomination around 11:00 a.m. on Thursday.
After that, Schumer said he expected a final vote to confirm Jackson to take place around 1:45 p.m., depending on how long senators want to speak before the vote.
“We have reached an agreement for the Senate to conclude the confirmation process of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson tomorrow,” Schumer said, according to The Hill.
“It will be a joyous day. Joyous for the Senate, joyous for the Supreme Court, joyous for America,” he added. “America tomorrow will take a giant step to becoming a perfect nation.”
Earlier this week, two Senate Republicans - Utah Senator Mitt Romney and Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski - announced that they plan to vote to confirm Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court.
Romney and Murkowski joined Maine Senator Susan Collins, who vowed last week to vote to confirm Jackson, giving President Joe Biden’s nominee three guaranteed Republican votes in the Senate.
Thursday’s vote means that Republicans agreed to speed up her confirmation. Under Senate rules, GOP senators could have delayed a final vote until Friday by requiring an additional 30 hours of debate. But top Republicans indicated earlier Wednesday that their caucus would yield back some time, as senators are eager to leave for a two-week break.