233 Years Wall Broken... First Black Female Supreme Court Justice in the US Emerges

Ketanji Brown Jackson Nominee
Senate Confirmation Vote Passes 53-47

Official Duties May Begin Late June
Rare Public Defender Background
4 of 9 Federal Supreme Court Justices Are Women

U.S. President Joe Biden and federal Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson share a joyful hug on the 7th (local time) at the White House after the confirmation bill was passed while watching the Senate vote live broadcast.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The first Black female federal Supreme Court justice in U.S. history has been appointed. The glass ceiling of the U.S. Supreme Court, which had been dominated by white men, has been broken after 233 years.

On the 7th (local time), the U.S. Senate approved the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson (51) with 53 votes in favor and 47 against. With this, Jackson has passed all the hurdles to be appointed as the successor to Justice Stephen Breyer, who is scheduled to retire in June. She is expected to officially begin her duties as early as late June or early July. The Washington Post emphasized the significance, stating, "One of the most important racial barriers remaining in the U.S. government has fallen."

Initially, the confirmation of Jackson was not optimistic. Some opposition lawmakers, including Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who criticized her as a "left-wing radical," opposed the confirmation by raising issues with her past statements and rulings. Some Republican Judiciary Committee members even threatened to boycott the committee vote.

The Senate is evenly split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, and a majority vote is required to pass the Supreme Court confirmation. Therefore, Democrats believed that the confirmation could only pass if all members voted in favor without any defections and with the casting vote of Vice President Kamala Harris, who is the Senate's ex officio chair. However, moderate Republicans Mitt Romney, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski voted in favor, allowing Jackson's confirmation to narrowly pass. Senator Romney praised her, saying, "Judge Jackson is a highly qualified legal professional and an honorable person."

Male-Dominated U.S. Supreme Court Also Sees 'Female Power'

Jackson, who grew up in Miami, Florida, as the child of public school teachers, majored in Public Administration at Harvard University and graduated from Harvard Law School. She worked at a Washington D.C. law firm, served as a clerk for Justice Breyer, and also worked as a public defender. In 2009, during President Barack Obama's administration, she was appointed as a judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. After President Joe Biden took office, she was appointed in March last year as a judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit before being nominated to the Supreme Court. The Washington Post noted that her experience as a public defender "will be a rare background for a Supreme Court justice."

Jackson will be the third Black justice after Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas, and the sixth female justice following Sandra Day O'Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Amy Coney Barrett. Currently, three of the nine justices are women, but with Jackson's official appointment, women will make up nearly half of the Court. Major foreign media explained, "For the first time in U.S. history, four female Supreme Court justices will serve simultaneously."

However, the conservative-leaning composition of the Court will remain. Even with Jackson's appointment, the ideological tilt of the Court is not expected to change significantly. This is due to former President Donald Trump having appointed three conservative justices during his term. Currently, the Supreme Court is divided 6-3 between conservatives and liberals, and Jackson's predecessor, Justice Breyer, was also liberal-leaning. The Wall Street Journal predicted, "The conservative dominance of the Court on hot-button issues such as abortion rights and racial matters in college admissions will remain unchanged."

Biden Keeps Campaign Promise... National Address on the 8th

President Biden promised during his presidential campaign that if a vacancy arose on the Supreme Court, he would appoint a Black woman as a successor. When he nominated Jackson in February, he emphasized the Court's diversity, saying, "For a long time, our government and judiciary did not look like America."

On the day of the vote, President Biden watched the Senate's live televised confirmation vote with Jackson at the White House. When the confirmation passed, he clenched his fist and exclaimed, "All right," sharing a joyful hug with Jackson. He plans to deliver a national address on the 8th to commemorate Jackson's Senate confirmation.

Through Twitter, President Biden stated, "Judge Jackson's confirmation to the Supreme Court is a historic moment for our country," adding, "We have taken a step closer to creating a highest court that truly reflects the diversity of American society." White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also described it as "a very historic day for the White House and America," and said, "It is also the fulfillment of a promise President Biden made to the nation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.