Three Republican Politicians Support Democrats, Jackson Makes History Elected As First Black Supreme Court Justice

JAKARTA - Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed by the United States Senate on Thursday, 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 is fulfilling a campaign promise as he seeks to infuse federal justice with more diverse backgrounds.

In a vote in the US Senate Thursday, Jackson got 53 votes to 47, with three Republicans, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Mitt Romney, joining the Democrats who supported Jackson.

Jackson will replace 83-year-old Supreme Court Justice Breyer in the court's liberal bloc, with a 6-3 conservative majority increasingly assertive. Breyer will serve until his current court term expires, usually at the end of June, and Jackson will be formally sworn in after that.

Interestingly, Jackson served as Supreme Court clerk for Breyer early in his career.

President Biden hosted Jackson at the White House to watch the vote on television, posting on Twitter a selfie he took of them smiling after the Senate trial.

"Judge Jackson's confirmation is a historic moment for our nation. We have taken another step to make our supreme court reflect America's diversity. He will be an extraordinary Judge, and I am honored to share this moment with him," Biden wrote on Twitter, citing Reuters, April 8.

The two will make the statement on Friday at an event to celebrate his confirmation.

Of the 115 people who have served on the Supreme Court since its founding in 1789, only three are not white. Of the three, two were black men, Thurgood Marshall, who retired in 1991 and died in 1993, and Clarence Thomas, who was appointed in 1991 and is still serving. One of the current judges, Sonia Sotomayor is the only Hispanic ever to serve.

And, Jackson will be the sixth female judge ever. For the first time, four women will serve in court together.

To note, President Biden appointed Jackson last year to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, after he spent eight years as a federal district judge. Like the three conservative judges appointed by Republican President Biden's predecessor Donald Trump, Jackson is young enough to serve for decades in the job of a lifetime.