The US Senate Has Voted To Confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson To The Supreme Court

For the first time in its 233-year history, the US Supreme Court will have a black female justice after the Senate approved Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the nine-member bench.

By a vote of 53 to 47, three Republicans crossed the aisle to confirm her appointment.

The selection of Justice Jackson fulfills President Joe Biden's campaign promise to appoint a black woman to the Supreme Court.

The majority leader, Chuck Schumer, described it as a "joyous day" for the United States.

Vice-President Kamala Harris, the first black woman to occupy the position, oversaw the vote.

Ms. Jackson, 51, will succeed Justice Stephen Breyer, a fellow liberal judge whom she previously clerked for, when he retires in June.

Ms. Jackson's lifetime appointment will likely keep her on the bench for decades, but it will not change the present court's ideological balance, which is 6-3 conservative.

Ms Jackson has stated that she has a "methodology" for deciding cases, but not a "philosophy." She also agreed with Republican senators on the significance of following the Constitution's wording as written by the founders.

Democrats praised her experience as a public defender during her confirmation hearings. She will be the first Supreme Court justice with legal expertise since Thurgood Marshall, the first black Supreme Court justice.