Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, First Black Woman Confirmed to Supreme Court
posted by Jacqueline Leibman | April 12, 2022 | In NewsOn April 7, CNN announced that the Senate confirmed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as the newest Supreme Court Judge. The historic 53-47 vote grants Jackson the additional honor of being the first Black woman to serve on the court.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said, “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.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black and Asian-American woman to serve as vice president, presided over the chamber as president of the Senate.
The vote initially proceeded quickly but was later held up when it became evident that GOP Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was the last to vote. The chamber had to wait for him to arrive and vote before the gavel could fall.
Sen. Paul is not wholly to blame for the voting delay, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R.-S.C.) and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) had to vote in the GOP cloakroom due to a wardrobe snafu– neither were wearing ties. According to CNN ties are apparently “required by Senate rules on the floor.” Sen. Graham’s choice of a quarter zip and a blazer was not up to par.
This appointment will count as a win for the Biden administration as it was said during his campaign that “he was committed” to nominating a Black woman to the Supreme Court.
However, Jackson’s appointment will not change the ideological makeup of the court. There are currently six conservatives and three liberal justices—with the retiring Justice Stephen Breyer belonging to the liberal side.
During a celebration event held on the South Lawn at the White House last Friday, Fox News quotes Jackson as saying it “is the greatest honor of my life to be here with you at this moment,” and extended her “heartfelt thanks to the many, many people who have helped me as part of this incredible journey.”
Jackson further remarked by thanking God, and prayers from the public. She also thanked President Joe Biden for “believing” in her and giving her the “extraordinary chance to serve our country.”
Jackson also included a quote from Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise:”
I do so now while bringing the gifts my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
Maya Angelou
Jackson will be sworn in this summer after Justice Breyer officially retires.
Photo courtesy of Lloyd DeGrane
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