Ketanji Brown Jackson First Black Woman Confirmed to Supreme Court

Courtesy @Potus Instagram

President Joe Biden and Judge Kentanji Brown take a photo

as Jackson was confirmed to the Supreme Court on Thursday,

April 7.

Ketanji Brown Jackson made history Thursday afternoon when a historic vote by the Senate made her the first Black woman to serve on the nation's highest court.

The Senate vote was 53-47 in favor of confirming Jackson to the Supreme Court. Every member of the Democrat caucus joined just three Republicans — Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Mitt Romney of Utah —in making her the 116th justice to serve on the court.

Jackson, whose nomination to the court was made by President Joe Biden in February, following Associate Justice Stephen Breyer's announcement he would retire at the end of the current court term, was criticized heavily by Republicans during the seven-week nomination process.

Opponents focused on a supposed record of leniency towards child sex offenders, a criticism that was widely refuted by those in legal circles, her defenders and even some Republican lawmakers, who had supported her previous appointments.

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. pic.twitter.com/K8SAh25NL5

— President Biden (@POTUS) April 7, 2022

"Judge Jackson’s confirmation was a historic moment for our nation," Biden tweeted after the vote. "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."

It will be months before the judge formally takes her seat on the bench when Breyer officially steps down. When she does, she will be the first federal public defender to sit on the high court, and it will mark the first time the court's nine-member bench will include two Black justices.

Of the 115 justices in the Supreme Court's 233-year history, 108 have been white men. Only five have been women, and three have been people of color.