Ketanji Brown Jackson Replace Associate Justice Stephen Breyer
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The Senate approved Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court on Thursday, making her the 116th and first Black woman to serve on the nation’s highest court.
The final vote tally of 53-47 revealed Jackson’s bipartisan backing, with three Republicans voting with all Democrats to give the 51-year-old federal judge a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.
Before the vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., stated, “This is a great moment for Judge Jackson, but it is a greater moment for America as we climb to a more perfect union.
The final vote tally of 53-47 revealed Jackson’s bipartisan backing, with three Republicans voting with all Democrats to give the 51-year-old federal judge a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.
Before the vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., stated, “This is a great moment for Judge Jackson, but it is a greater moment for America as we climb to a more perfect union.”
Judge Jackson’s confirmation was a historic moment for our nation. We’ve taken another step toward making our highest court reflect the diversity of America. She will be an incredible Justice, and I was honored to share this moment with her. pic.twitter.com/K8SAh25NL5
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 7, 2022
Kamala Harris appeared to be choked up with emotion at one point
The vote to approve Ketanji Brown Jackson was presided over by Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black woman to hold that position. As she read out the voting result, Harris looked to choke up with emotion, drawing a flood of clapping and cheering from the Senate floor.
Following the appointment of three of former President Donald Trump’s nominees, Ketanji Brown Jackson will join a court that has become significantly more conservative. Her inclusion will save the liberal wing of the court from being outnumbered 6-3 by the conservative bloc.
Only five women have served on the Supreme Court: Sandra Day O’Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Amy Coney Barrett. Only two African-Americans have ever been appointed to the Supreme Court: Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas. There has never been a Black woman on the Supreme Court before.
I can’t stop watching this six second video of Ketanji Brown Jackson moments after her history-making confirmation to the US Supreme Court pic.twitter.com/MYMjiCwJXQ
— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) April 8, 2022
Ketanji Brown Jackson will be the first Supreme Court justice to have previously worked as a public defender
Jackson will also be the first Supreme Court justice to have previously worked as a public defender. Democrats have hailed Jackson’s expertise as another proof that he will bring a new perspective to the court’s typically homogeneous makeup.
In criminal proceedings, public defenders are assigned to represent people who would otherwise be unable to afford their own legal counsel. Republicans, on the other hand, have attempted to use Jackson’s background as a public defender against her, accusing her of sympathizing with the ideas or acts of some of her previous clients, including captives at the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba.
Let’s all stop for a moment to appreciate the his tory being made today.
Congratulations, JUSTICE Ketanji Brown Jackson.
You’re an absolute inspiration. pic.twitter.com/qF2KoTu8wG— Julia Louis-Dreyfus (@OfficialJLD) April 7, 2022Advertisement
After nearly a year on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the nation’s second most powerful court, Jackson will join the Supreme Court. Jackson will hear a pair of issues challenging admissions rules at Harvard College and the University of North Carolina.
Happy Ketanji Brown Jackson Day 👸🏿
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) April 7, 2022
Ketanji Brown Jackson also provides a wide range of experience to the bench
He also brings to the bench a wide range of experience and he has worked as an assistant public defender and on the federal trial court in Washington. A Supreme Court justice has never worked as a public defender, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor is the only current member of the court who has worked on a federal district court. After graduating from Harvard and Harvard Law School, she served on the United States Sentencing Commission and worked in private practise.
Historic as Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson becomes the first black woman confirmed to the #SCOTUS in its 233-year history! Well deserved and a long time coming! More women at the decision-making table is the way to go! Another glass ceiling shattered 🙌🏽 ! Congratulations pic.twitter.com/SmVQkiBxww
— Joel Kaparia Olemeitaya (@JoelyMeitaya) April 8, 2022
During her confirmation hearings, Ketanji Brown Jackson told the story of her and her parents’ lives, from her mother and father attending segregated schools in Florida to her being on the verge of being the nation’s first Black woman to serve on the nation’s highest court “in one generation.” She committed to be an impartial jurist who analyses matters from a neutral standpoint as she reflected on her professional career.
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson refused to define the word woman, but she did just redefine the Supreme Court.
— Jo 🌻 (@JoJoFromJerz) April 7, 2022
Ankita Khanrah
Ankita Khanrah is a second-year student of the Master of Communication and Journalism (Integrated) programme at the School of Mass Communication, KIIT Deemed University, Bhubaneswar.
