Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 01:50 pm
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson because the first African-American woman to be confirmed to the Supreme Court.
The vote was 53-47 to confirm.
The historic day has been expected since Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced that he would be supporting Jackson’s nomination. As expected, Jackson picked up three Republican votes (Romney, Murkowski, and Collins), which not only made her confirmation bipartisan but also gave her more votes for confirmation that Trump nominees Kavanaugh and Barrett.
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Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) the President Pro Tempore of the Senate said before the vote:
I am the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and a former Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. I voted for the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court. I voted for the first Latina to serve on the Supreme Court. I have voted on thousands of judicial nominations – nominees of both Republican and Democratic Presidents. I have voted for nominees to the Supreme Court who were put forward by Republican Presidents.
I have long lamented the increasing political gamesmanship that has infected our current confirmation process. I have long warned about the dire consequences — for our courts, for our democracy — of converting our confirmation process into a zero sum game where one party wins and one party loses. Â
But to change that gamesmanship requires that we have some adults in the room. That we all come here, to the floor of the United States Senate, not to score a headline or a trending tweet, but to simply do our jobs. Who will do that today?
I have taken a clear look at Judge Jackson’s record. I heard her testimony two weeks ago. I met with her. I read opinions that she has written. I saw her intellect, humility, and temperament on full display. She is the Justice we need now. For Americans today, for the generations to come, for all of us — I will cast my vote to confirm Judge Jackson.Â
Video of Democrats cheering and applauding after Jackson is confirmed:
President Biden promised to reshape the courts so that they look more like America, and with this vote, Biden has fulfilled that promise in the largest way possible.
Judge Jackson was smeared by Senate Republicans who were looking for any contrived excuse to vote against her, but in the end history was made, and a supremely qualified judge will be seated on the highest court in the land.
Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation is a great day for the United States of America.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
