On Thursday, the Senate voted to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to the highest court in the nation. Although she is not the first woman to become a part of the highest court in the nation, she is the first Black woman to reach this high position. There was a 53 to 47 vote in her favor.

The entire Democratic caucus including its two independents voted for her while three Republicans also voted for her. They were Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. They had earlier indicated their support for her nomination.

President Joe Biden had promised to nominate the first black woman to the Supreme Court during his campaign and this fulfillment of the promise has been welcomed by the entire party with Vice President Kamala Harris and Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer also expressing their joy after the vote.

Ketanji Brown will replace Stephen Breyer on the nation’s highest court in summer, when he will formally retire from the Supreme Court. After her graduation from Harvard Law School, Ketanji Brown had clerked for Justice Breyer. This June, she will be permanently filling in for her 83-year old mentor.

Jackson has worked as a public defender before she became a judge. The 51-year lawyer was a trail court judge for eight years. In June 2021, she was confirmed as a judge for the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. She was one among the three names that were being considered for a seat in the Supreme Court.

Ketanji Brown is a native of Washington D.C. She has two degrees from Harvard University. She has been the editor of the Harvard Law Review. She was strongly questioned by Republican senators before whom she appeared as they considered her to be soft on crime. She is the first lawyer who has been a criminal defense attorney to reach the Supreme Court since 1967, after Thurgood Marshall got his seat in the highest court.

(Photo/Credit: President Joe Biden