Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed as the United States’ 116th Supreme Court Justice by a 53 to 47 vote in the U.S. Senate today. She will be seated as a Justice on the Court after Justice Stephen Breyer retires, which is expected this summer after the end of the Court’s current session.
“Ketanji Brown Jackson has made history and today feminists everywhere are celebrating. At last, long overdue: a brilliant African American woman will be seated on the Supreme Court,” said Eleanor Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority Foundation. “Judge Brown Jackson’s nomination and appointment gives hope and inspiration to millions of people. She is a wise and compassionate jurist in pursuit of equal justice under the law.”
In her opening testimony, Judge Brown Jackson said, “I hope that you will see how much I love our country and the Constitution, and the rights that make us free. I stand on the shoulders of many who have come before me, including Judge Constance Baker Motley, who was the first African American woman to be appointed to the federal bench and with whom I share a birthday. And like Judge Motley, I have dedicated my career to ensuring that the words engraved on the front of the Supreme Court building—’Equal Justice Under Law’ — are a reality and not just an ideal.”
