Ketanji Brown Jackson To Be A First Black Woman To Sit On Supreme Court

Published

2 years ago

April 8, 2022

Ketanji Brown Jackson To Be A First Black Woman To Sit On Supreme Court

On Thursday, the U.S. Senate voted 53-47 to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, making history as the first Black Supreme Court justice.

The Associated Press reports that most senators voted along party lines, with all 50 Democrats supporting Ketanji Brown Jackson and three Republican senators breaking ranks with the GOP to support him. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Mitt Romney (R-UT) were the only Republicans to vote for Jackson’s confirmation.

Mike Braun and Todd Young, both Indiana senators, opposed Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation.

Stephen Breyer will be replaced by Ketanji Brown Jackson this summer after he retires. The Supreme Court will continue to be dominated by conservatives 6-3.

Must Read: Joe Biden Picked Ketanji Brown as The First Black Woman To Judge Supreme Court

Senator Chuck Schumer noted the historic nature of Jackson’s confirmation in a speech following his confirmation, according to the New York Times.

“How many kids could have benefited from such a role model in generations past?” Schumer said.

As the Associated Press reported, the upper gallery of the Senate was almost entirely full for the first time since the pandemic started.

Ketanji Brown Jackson will be the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court

It was presided over by Kamala Harris, the first Black woman to serve as Vice President of the United States. According to the Associated Press, the chamber erupted in cheers after Harris announced the final tally.

With Jackson’s confirmation, President Biden fulfilled a major campaign promise: to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court.

Jackson, 51, served for eight years as a federal trial court judge and last June was confirmed to serve on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

Jackson worked as a public defender before becoming a judge. As a Supreme Court justice, Jackson will be the first to represent indigent criminal defendants since Thurgood Marshall.

Her first job after graduating from Harvard Law School was working as a clerk for Justice Stephen Breyer – whom she will replace on the Supreme Court when he retires this summer.