3 min read

Historic Supreme Court Confirmation

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson makes history as the first Black woman confirmed to the United States Supreme Court.
Historic Supreme Court Confirmation

On Thursday, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed by a 53-47 vote in the Senate, with three Republicans joining all 50 Democrats, supporting her appointment as the next U.S. Supreme Court justice. The Washington Post reports that her confirmation was "felling one of the most significant remaining racial barriers in American government and sending the first Democratic nominee to the high court in 12 years."

Senate confirms Jackson as first Black woman on Supreme Court (Mike DeBonis, Robert Barnes, and Seung Min Kim - The Washington Post)

Excerpt from The Washington Post: It began in February with President Biden introducing Jackson as a distinguished nominee who would “help write the next chapter in the history of the journey of America” and reached a climax during two days of tense Senate hearings last month where Republicans sought to paint her as a left-wing radical who had cosseted criminals and terrorists, only for three GOP senators to ultimately reject those claims and support her confirmation.
Embed from Getty Images

As the 116th Supreme Court justice, Jackson is "making history in diversifying the bench while leaving unchanged the conservative dominance of a court preparing to tackle gay rights, environmental regulations and race in college admissions," writes Lindsay Wise and Jess Bravin for The Wall Street Journal.

Ketanji Brown Jackson Confirmed as Supreme Court Justice (Lindsay Wise and Jess Bravin - The Wall Street Journal)

Excerpt from The Wall Street Journal: Judge Jackson, 51 years old, will be the first Black woman to join the Supreme Court, fulfilling a pledge made by President Biden at a pivotal moment in the Democratic presidential race, and her confirmation was celebrated as a groundbreaking moment by backers as well as some detractors. The thin margin of the vote underlined how partisan the confirmation process has become even for nominees that most lawmakers agree are qualified.
Embed from Getty Images

This deep partisanship was clearly evident on Monday evening when senators had to vote to formally discharge Judge Jackson’s Supreme Court nomination to the full Senate, following the Senate Judiciary Committee's deadlock of 11-11 on moving Jackson’s nomination forward. It's the first time the Senate has had to take this procedural step for a Supreme Court nominee since 1853.

"GOP Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Mitt Romney (Utah) voted with Democrats to make Jackson’s nomination available for a full Senate vote," writes Jordain Carney for The Hill.

Collins, Murkowski, Romney help break deadlock on Jackson’s nomination (Jordain Carney - The Hill)

Excerpt from The Hill: Murkowski and Romney said in statements on Monday that they would back Jackson, becoming the second and third GOP senators to support her [as] Collins announced last week that she would vote for Jackson. Romney added in a separate statement that he had “concluded that she is a well-qualified jurist and a person of honor. While I do not expect to agree with every decision she may make on the Court, I believe that she more than meets the standard of excellence and integrity."
Embed from Getty Images

Read more in our Special Report:

Special Report: Historic Choice for the High Court
A look back at the nomination and confirmation of Judge Katanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court.