Senate Confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson to Supreme Court, Making Her First Black Female Justice

The Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court on Thursday, making her the first Black woman confirmed to the nation’s highest court.

The final vote was 53 to 47, with Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Mitt Romney (R-UT) joining the unanimous Democratic Senators in voting for her confirmation. Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black female vice president, presided over the historic vote in her capacity as president of the Senate.

Jackson’s confirmation fulfilled President Joe Biden’s promise during his campaign that, if elected, he would nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court if there was a vacancy. She has served as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit since Biden appointed her last year.

Jackson will succeed retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, for whom she previously clerked. She earned both her undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University, and was an editor on the Harvard Law Review.

Jackson will now be the 116th justice to be on the Supreme Court.

Watch above, via CNN.