The Senate on Thursday confirmed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, making her the court’s first Black female justice and its first former public defender.
Senators voted 53-47 on Jackson’s confirmation. GOP Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Mitt Romney (Utah) bucked their party and voted to confirm her, according to The Hill.
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) touted Jackson’s nomination as a “joyous, momentous, groundbreaking day.”
“In the 233-year history of the Supreme Court, never — never — has a Black woman held the title of ‘justice.’ Ketanji Brown Jackson will be the first, and I believe the first of more to come,” Schumer said.
Underscoring the historic nature of the vote, Vice President Kamala Harris — who was the first female, first Black and first Asian American person to hold the No. 2 office — presided over the chamber’s confirmation of Jackson.
“I’m overjoyed, deeply moved. You know, there’s so much about what’s happening in the world now that is presenting some of the worst of … human behaviors and then we have a moment like this that I think reminds us that there is still so much yet to accomplish and that we can accomplish, including a day like today that is so historic and so important, for so many reasons,” Harris told reporters as she was leaving the Capitol.
“I do believe it is a very important statement about who we are as a nation, that we have just made a decision to put this extraordinary jurist on the highest court of our land. It’s a good statement about who we are,” Harris added.
The vote on Brown’s confirmation was made possible after Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer reached an agreement to conclude the process.
Thursday’s vote meant 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.