History has been made as the US Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first black woman to sit on America’s Supreme Court.
The confirmation represents a significant victory for Democrats, which they can tout as bipartisan, and a way for President Joe Biden to deliver on a campaign promise at a time when the US faces a number of challenges at home and abroad, including soaring inflation and the crisis in Ukraine. Democrats broke out into loud applause and cheers after the votes.
The vote also marks a major milestone for the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary, although Jackson’s confirmation won’t change the ideological balance of the court. Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black woman to serve as vice president, presided over the chamber during the historic vote in her capacity as president of the Senate. Jackson will be sworn in after Justice Stephen Breyer retires sometime this summer. Senate Democrats and the White House have continually highlighted the historic nature of the nomination.
Ahead of the final vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the moment a “joyous, momentous, groundbreaking day. ”Schumer went on to say, “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.
“Biden had said during his 2020 presidential campaign that he was committed to nominating a Black woman to the Supreme Court if elected. At one point during her Senate confirmation hearings, Jackson became visibly emotional and could be seen wiping away tears as Democratic Sen.
Cory Booker of New Jersey, who is one of only three Black senators, talked about her path to the nomination and the obstacles she has had to overcome.
“My parents grew up in a time in this country in which Black children and White children were not allowed to go to school together.
Jackson told Booker after the senator asked what values her parents had impressed upon her. “They taught me hard work. They taught me perseverance. They taught me that anything is possible in this great country,” she said.
Culled from CNN
