The Supreme Court's Panel On Ketanji Brown Jackson Has Reached A Stalemate

Although a US Senate subcommittee deadlocked in a vote to confirm President Joe Biden's Supreme Court nominee, she is expected to be confirmed later this week.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson would be the first black woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States.

Six Republican-appointed judges and three Democratic-appointed justices presently make up the nine-member court.

Another liberal justice, Stephen Breyer, would be replaced by Judge Jackson.

On Monday, the Senate judiciary committee, which is evenly split between Democrats and Republicans like the rest of the body, voted 11-11 to support her candidacy.

A final vote in front of the Senate's 100 members is scheduled on Friday.

Mitt Romney of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, both Republicans, expressed their support for Judge Jackson on Monday evening.

Judge Jackson's confirmation is assured, as one other Republican, Senator Susan Collins of Maine, has already stated that she will support for the candidate.

Democrats point out that Judge Jackson would be the court's first former public defender, citing her nine years on the federal bench as evidence.

However, many Republicans criticized her decision not to comment on whether more Supreme Court seats should be added during her 30-hour confirmation hearings, as well as her remark that she couldn't define the term "woman." They also accused her of being lenient in child pornography cases.

Judge Jackson, 51, would be the Supreme Court's first black female justice in its 233-year existence if approved. Following Thurgood Marshall and current Justice Clarence Thomas, she would be only the third black American to serve on the country's highest court.

The Washington, DC native is currently a member of the powerful US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

She graduated from Harvard University with two degrees and worked as an editor for the Harvard Law Review.

The president chooses his favorite Supreme Court justice nominee, who is subsequently voted on by the Senate Judiciary Committee before receiving final Senate approval.