Ketanji Brown Jackson Is In!

Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

It was a slim majority of the vote to confirm the first African American woman to the Supreme Court.

Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed by the Senate by a 53-47 vote. Only a mere three votes from Sen. Karen Romney (R-UT), Sen. Karen Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Karen Murkowski (R-AK).

Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black woman elected to her job, presided over the vote.

The 47 racists in the Republican senate decided that voting for Jackson was voting for someone who is "soft" on crime. They ran on a dog whistle strategy to taint this qualified Black federal judge as an enabler of child abuse. A strategy that will riles me up. As a Black man, I found the attacks against Jackson as disgraceful and disrespectful.

President Joe Biden and Jackson were watching the vote count from the White House. They celebrated the victory and will hold a celebration on Friday.

The vote means Jackson will take office at the end of the court's current term — likely in June or July — when Justice Stephen Breyer is expected to step down. Her appointment would not disrupt the current 6-3 conservative balance on the Supreme Court.

"This is a wonderful day, a joyous day, an inspiring day for the Senate, for the Supreme Court and for the United States of America," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Thursday, calling Jackson "brilliant," "beloved," and saying she "belongs" on the Supreme Court.

History was made despite Republican obstruction.

"This is one of the great moments of American history," he said.

Obstructionist Leader Karen McConnell (R-KY) unsuccessfully fought to scuttle Jackson's nomination in recent weeks.

"These days, the Senate takes an assertive role. In particular, most senators do not merely check résumés and basic legal qualifications but also look into judicial philosophy," he said Wednesday.

The victory for Jackson, a favorite of progressives, puts a spotlight on the Georgia Senate runoffs in January 2021, when Democrats captured two Republican-held seats and secured control of the chamber with the slimmest possible majority. During the hearings, Sen. Karen Graham (R-SC) indicated that Jackson would not have gotten through a Republican-controlled chamber.