Ketanji Brown Jackson: Senate Confirms Pres. Joe Biden's Appointee Seen as Supreme Court Contender
The Senate had confirmed President Joe Biden's appointee Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve as a federal judge in U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
The Senate vote was 53-44, NBC News reported. All those who opposed were Republicans, with three voting with Democrats to approve the nomination.
Democrats see Jackson as a possible Supreme Court contender in the future if one opens up during the Biden administration.
Joe Biden has vowed to put the first Black woman on the high court during his campaign. The White House had also implied to Democratic senators that it wants more public defenders and civil rights lawyers in the courts.
Chief counsel for Demand Justice Christopher Kang said that Jackson's confirmation would spur the start of a new era for a court system.
Kang added that Jackson's experience as a public defender makes her an ideal person for the type of judge that Biden and the Senate Democrats should continue to prioritize.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the Senate plans to confirm several of Biden's appointees to restore the balance in the courts.
The three Republicans who joined the vote in favor of Jackson's confirmation were senators Lindsey Graham, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski.
Who is Ketanji Brown Jackson?
Ketanji Brown Jackson, 50, who was educated at Harvard, is the first of Biden's appointees to be confirmed by the Senate. ABC News Go reported that Jackson is also the first Black woman to be confirmed to an appeal court in a decade.
Jackson has served on the U.S. District Court in Washington since 2013, having been appointed by former President Barack Obama.
Jackson, who will fill the seat of Merrick Garland, who became Biden's attorney general in March, will now be one of the five Black female circuit court judges currently serving.
Ketanji Brown Jackson is seen to replace Justice Stephen Breyer should he retired soon. She always served as a former clerk to Breyer.
Schumer noted that women of color have long been underrepresented on the federal bench, and they are closing that gap with the Biden administration.
Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said that their politics might differ, but he praises Jackson's intellect, character, and integrity.
Ryan and Jackson are related by marriage. Jackson's husband is the twin brother of Ryan's brother-in-law.
Seeking Balance in Supreme Court
During the Trump administration, the judiciary system has been reported to be tilting to the right. Edward Fallone, an associate professor at Marquette University Law School, noted that the Supreme Court's term is shaping up to be the revenge of the former president, The Guardian reported.
Trump had appointed 234 judges, including appellate judges. He outnumbered Obama's first term total of 172 and George W Bush's 204.
Trump appointee Amy Coney Barrett replaced Ruth Bader Ginsberg after her death. Barrett is considered to be a devout Catholic.
Some of the cases that the Supreme Court would decide on include a Roman Catholic adoption agency in Philadelphia that argues it is entitled to discriminate against potential foster parents based on their sexual orientation.
They will also review a challenge to New York's prohibitions on people carrying concealed handguns in public.
READ MORE: Biden Asks Supreme Court to Cancel Arguments on Border Wall, Asylum
WATCH: WATCH LIVE: Ketanji Brown Jackson to be Nominated as U.S. Circuit Judge - From PBSNews Hour