Ketanji Brown Jackson has been confirmed by the Senate as the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court in a milestone for the United States and a victory for President Joe Biden, who made good on a campaign promise as he seeks to infuse the federal judiciary with a broader range of backgrounds.
The vote to confirm the 51-year-old federal appellate judge on Thursday to a lifetime job on the nation’s top judicial body was 53-47, with three Republicans – Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney – joining Biden’s fellow Democrats.
Four of the justices on the nine-member court will be women once Jackson takes her seat, making it the most diverse bench in history.
Of the five men on the bench, four are white, and Clarence Thomas is African American.
