This had never happened in 233 years of history. On Thursday, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed to the Supreme Court of the United States, and will become the first African-American woman to sit on the highest judicial institution in the country. She will replace progressive judge Stephen Breyer after his retirement at the end of June.
Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed by 53 votes to 47. Three Republican senators, Mitt Romney, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowsky, joined the 50 Democrats. As a symbol, it was Kamala Harris, the first black woman vice-president of the United States, who announced the result of the vote. Joe Biden, who was watching the historic vote on a TV screen, then hugged the news “ Justice Brown Jackson” to congratulate her.
Balance unchanged at Court
Of the 115 justices who have served on the Supreme Court so far, there have been only five women – four white and one Hispanic – and two black men, one of whom, Clarence Thomas, was appointed by George Bush Sr. and still sits.
For Joe Biden, this is his first appointment to the high court whose mission is to ensure the constitutionality of laws and to settle important societal debates in the United States, such as abortion or same-sex marriage. “Today’s vote is the result of centuries of hard work, especially for black women and girls who too often do not see themselves represented at the highest levels of government,” said Alexis McGill Johnson. , the president of the organization Planned Parenthood, which manages many clinics performing abortions throughout the United States.
However, this vote will not change the balance of power within the prestigious college of nine magistrates, with only three progressive judges who are sometimes joined by the head of the Supreme Court, the moderate conservative John Roberts.