Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court in its 233-year history, was confirmed by the Senate in a 53-47 vote Thursday.
She got three Republican votes, marking a bipartisan victory for President Joe Biden and his high court nominee.
President Joe Biden and Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson are currently in the Roosevelt Room of the White House watching this historic vote, according to the White House print pooler.
Vice President Kamala Harris, as president of the Senate, presided over the Senate chamber to announce the roll call vote.
Apr 07, 2022, 2:07 PM EDT
Senate leaders give final speeches ahead of vote
Both party leaders spoke ahead of Judge Jackson's confirmation vote, with Vice President Kamala Harris, as president of the Senate, presiding over the chamber for the historic occasion.
Republican leader Mitch McConnell said he "applaud[ed]" Republicans for handling Jackson's confirmation with the seriousness it deserves," a characterization rejected b Democrats.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, meanwhile, celebrated the historic nature of the nomination.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks ahead of the vote on the Senate floor for the confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, April 7, 2022.
Pool via Senate TV
"In our nation's history, 115 individuals have been confirmed by this body to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Of those, 108 have been white men, only 4 have been women, only 2 have been African American," Schumer said. "But Ketanji Brown Jackson will be the first African American woman ever to hold the title of Justice. Think about the impact that will have on our democracy."
"This is one of the great moments of American history," Schumer said. "This is a great moment for Judge Jackson but it is an even greater moment for America as we rise to a more perfect union."
Apr 07, 2022, 2:00 PM EDT
Confirmation vote underway
Vice President Kamala Harris, presiding over the Senate chamber, called for a roll call vote for Judge Jackson’s Senate confirmation.
Jackson is expected to watch the roll call vote with her family in Washington.
Apr 07, 2022, 1:46 PM EDT
Durbin calls Jackson’s ascension a 'monumental step forward'
As the confirmation vote nears, Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who presided over Jackson's confirmation hearings, called her ascension to the high court "a glass shattering achievement for America."
"Today, the members of this Senate have the opportunity to take a monumental step forward. We will vote to confirm a once in a generation legal talent, a jurist with outstanding credentials and a lifetime of experience and the first-ever African American woman to serve as Justice of the Supreme Court," Durbin said.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard Durbin arrives for the confirmation hearing for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on Capitol Hill, March 22, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Durbin briefly walked the Senate through some of the struggles African Americans and women have faced in this country, asking senators to consider that when the Supreme Court first met in the Capitol building in February of 1801, there were one million slaves in a nation of five million people.
"Women had no place in that first Supreme Court chamber, and Black women would only enter to clean it in the dark of night," he said. "We know what followed. Americans battled in slavery, saw a bloody civil war, decades of efforts to break down racial barriers -- and the efforts continue to this day."
Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, right, testifies about how her parents attended segregated schools, as her family from far left, brother Ketajh Brown, and parents Johnny and Ellery Brown, listen, during the second day of her confirmation hearing, March 22, 2022 on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
But with Jackson's nomination, Durbin said millions of Americans will see themselves represented in her.
"This confirmation of the first Black woman to the Supreme Court honors the history that has come before it It honors the struggles of the past of the men and women who waged them. And this confirmation draws America one step closer one step to healing our nation," he said.