By a slim bipartisan 53-47 vote, the U.S. Senate confirmed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s (KBJ) appointment to the Supreme Court, ushering in a historic moment for the nation.
“On this vote, the yeas are 53, the nays and 47, and this nomination is confirmed,” presiding over the senate in her capacity as Senate President, Kamala Harris, the first female and first black woman to serve as Vice President, announced.
The room erupted in prolonged jubilation, absorbing the magnitude of the moment.
Three Republicans, Senators Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), voted with all the Democrats and Independent Senators to push through the confirmation in a bipartisan vote.
African American Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) was a notable “no-vote,” choosing to side with his party’s trivial objections instead of supporting the historic moment.
Jackson’s ascent to the Supreme Court is significant because, throughout U.S. history, White men have dominated as justices. Of the 115 people to serve in the Supreme Court, 108 are White men.
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.
-President Joe Biden.
With Jackson joining, for the first time in U.S. history, White men will no longer form the majority in the court.
Her path to confirmation was paved with unfair and insulting questions from some Republicans, who seemed bent on finding an excuse to vote against her confirmation.
Even those who admitted she was well qualified because of her background of serving as a judge and a public defender still found a way to deny her their vote.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.Carolina) oscillated between being friendly, mean, and angry toward Jackson and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois.)
“On a scale of 1–10, how faithful would you say you are in terms of religion?” Graham asked rhetorically, attempting to set up his argument that Amy Coney Barret received unfair treatment during her confirmation. His religious question puzzled Jackson, who maintained a respectful but firm demeanor throughout the process.
Graham’s question or premise could have been ruled illegal in any American job interview, but not in Congress, where the leaders have a blanket immunity to ask any question.
Graham eventually voted against Jackson’s confirmation despite having voted for her twice before for junior judgeship positions.
Graham’s offensive question was followed by outrageous questions from Senators Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), and Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas)
The Senators attempted to paint Jackson as soft on pedophiles, with Cotton taking it a notch higher, accusing Jackson of being a terrorist sympathizer.
Later on the Senate floor, Cotton, rumored to be harboring presidential ambitions, slandered Jackson that she’d have defended Nazis.
“The last Judge Jackson left the Supreme Court to go to Nuremberg and prosecute the case against the Nazis. This Judge Jackson might have gone there to defend them,” Cotton said.
President Harry Truman appointed Associate Justice Robert H. Jackson to prosecute Nazis in the Nuremberg trials in November 1945.
Cotton, is a self-righteous hawkish Senator who has fashioned himself as a champion for America’s strength was roundly criticized for the comment, and even challenged by a Fox News anchor, a rarity for Republicans appearing on the conservative channel.
Ironically, Cotton could not summon the courage to criticize former President Donald Trump when he appeared to side with Russian President Vladimir Putin over US intelligence, at a joint press conference in Helsinki, Finland.
For her part, Blackburn found a niche attack line to give herself an excuse not to vote for the overly-qualified Jackson. Attempting to drag the judge into GOP culture wars against transgender people, Blackburn asked Jackson to define a woman.
She refused to take the bait, granting several Republicans another excuse to deny her their vote. But the question was not that simple after all. Republicans gave different answers to reporters when asked to define a woman.
Huffingtonpost reports Blackburn refused to answer the question three times, citing her policy of not talking to reporters in the Senate hallways. Other GOP senators gave different answers, proving that the answer to the question was not as obvious as they thought.
“I know what it’s taken for you to sit in that seat,”
-Sen. Cory Booker to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
Attacks on Jackson prompted Sen. Cory Booker (D- New Jersey) to come to her defense in a speech that will go down in history as a masterpiece in defending candidates against unfair attacks during confirmation hearings.
Jackson wiped away tears as Booker affirmed that she was worthy of her appointment to the Supreme Court.
Invoking the determination shown by abolitionist Harriet Tubman, Booker celebrated Jackson’s nomination saying the nasty questions and insults she had faced from some Republicans would not steal his joy.
“You’re worthy. You’re a great American… “I know what it’s taken for you to sit in that seat,” Booker told Jackson, who was fight back tears.
WELCOME NEWS IN THE US
President Joe Biden, who kept his promise to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court, posed for photos with Jackson watching the Senate confirmation vote on T.V.
Biden later tweeted a message noting the significance of the moment.
“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,” Biden said in a Twitter message.
Many have met Jackson’s confirmation with joy.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama praised Jackson for giving Black women and girls a new dream to dream, a new path to forge, and a future we can all be hopeful for.
“I was so moved to see Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmed this afternoon,” Obama said. “Like so many of you, I can’t help but feel a sense of pride- a sense of joy- to what this deserving, accomplished Black woman will be a part of the highest court in the land.”
After her vote, Murkowski released a congratulatory statement posted on her official Twitter account, saying Jackson was qualified.
“Today, I voted to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve as the next Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, filling the vacancy that will be created when Justice Stephen Breyer retires at the end of the current term,” Murkowski said.
“Judge Jackson has met the incredibly high bar I set for service on the highest court in the land,” Murkowski said. “Her qualifications and her record demonstrate her knowledge and respect for the constitution.”
Jackson, 51, joins the court as the most qualified judge having served as a district judge, public defender, Judge in the Court of Appeals and the sentencing commission.
She is replacing Justice Stephen Breyer, who is retiring.
SEN. CORY BOOKER POWERFUL WORDS TO JUDGE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON
