Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed to the Supreme Court on Thursday in a historic vote with support from three Republicans, and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) thanked them for their "political courage."
Jackson was confirmed in a 53-47 vote to be the first Black woman to ever serve on the Supreme Court, and she received support from Republican Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska.). All 50 Democrats also voted for Jackson.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Durbin also reflected that Romney's father, George Romney, had plenty of political courage himself as a Republican governor who marched in support of the civil rights movement. "You are your father's son," Durbin told Romney.
Romney previously called Jackson a "well-qualified jurist and a person of honor," adding, "While I do not expect to agree with every decision she may make on the court, I believe that she more than meets the standard of excellence and integrity." Murkowski also said she would vote to confirm Jackson based on her "qualifications, which no one questions," while Collins said Jackson "possesses the experience, qualifications, and integrity to serve" on the Supreme Court.
Democrats applauded on the Senate floor as Jackson was confirmed, and Romney was seen standing and joining them as other Republicans began to leave.
-
The week’s best photosIn Pictures Ready for lift-off, the odd one out, and more
-
The Week Unwrapped: Have pedigree dogs had their day?Podcast Plus what can we learn from Slovenia’s rejection of assisted dying? And can politicians admit their weaknesses?
-
4 easy tips to avoid bank feesThe Explainer A few dollars here and there might seem insignificant, but it all adds up
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
-
Court strikes down Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read The Texas congressional map ordered by Trump is likely an illegal racial gerrymander, the court ruled
-
Trump defends Saudi prince, shrugs off Khashoggi murderSpeed Read The president rebuked an ABC News reporter for asking Mohammed bin Salman about the death of a Washington Post journalist at the Saudi Consulate in 2018
-
Congress passes bill to force release of Epstein filesSpeed Read The Justice Department will release all files from its Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation
-
Trump says he will sell F-35 jets to Saudi ArabiaSpeed Read The president plans to make several deals with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this week
-
Judge blasts ‘profound’ errors in Comey caseSpeed Read ‘Government misconduct’ may necessitate dismissing the charges against the former FBI director altogether
-
The ‘Kavanaugh stop’Feature Activists say a Supreme Court ruling has given federal agents a green light to racially profile Latinos
