Highlights from Senate vote to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson
The Senate voted 53-47 in a bipartisan vote on Jackson's nomination.
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.
Here is how the day developed:
Jackson’s confirmation marks slew of firsts
With Judge Jackson set to become Justice Jackson when Justice Stephen Breyer retires at the end of this term, the Supreme Court will have its first Black woman justice -- and Jackson will serve on the first-ever high court where white men constitute a minority of the membership.
Jackson is also the first former public defender and first Florida-raised judge to sit on the Supreme Court.
In addition to being the first time four women justices serve on the bench, it’s also the first time three justices of color will serve together.
Biden ran for president on the pledge to nominate a Black woman and to help make the courts “look more like America.”
-ABC News' Devin Dwyer
Senate confirms Jackson to Supreme Court
The Senate has confirmed Judge Jackson by a 53-47 vote, paving the way for Jackson to become the first Black woman in history to sit on the nation's highest court.
"This nomination is confirmed," said Vice President Kamala Harris as the chamber erupted in applause.
Jackson secured the support of all Democrats plus three Republicans: Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. All three of these senators previously stated their intention to support Jackon's final confirmation.
Inside the chamber, crowds of staffers flocked to the gallery to catch a glimpse of the history-making moment.
Harris, the nation's first Black and first female vice president, announced the final tally for Jackson -- now the first Black woman to be confirmed to the Supreme Court in its 233-year history.
-ABC News' Trish Turner and Allison Pecorin
Jackson watches vote with Biden at White House
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.
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.
"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."
Democrats defend Jackson against GOP attacks
After drawing a contrast between America of the past and present, from a nation that once had hundreds of thousands of enslaved people to that of a "more perfect union," Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., defended Jackson against concerns voiced by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and some other Republicans that, as a former public defender, she will have "special empathy" as some Democrats touted.
"The cameras and the lights here today can make it easy to forget that at its core the responsibility you seek is one of service -- and I'm fully confident you'll serve Americans from all walks of life, all backgrounds fairly and faithfully," Durbin said. "Now there may be some who claim without a shred of evidence that you'll be a rubber stamp for this president. For those would-be critics, I have four words: Look at the record," he added.
Pointing out that the committee has already scoured her records now on four different occasions and seen "every published and reported word you've written or spoken," Durbin said, "For those who say they need more, I would answer that you've sat down personally with every member of the dais of the committee, Democrats and Republicans."
In what's likely to become a theme for Democrats, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., echoed Durbin's defense.
"Judge Jackson is not anti-law enforcement. She hails from a law enforcement family. She's also won the support of preeminent national law enforcement organizations including the national fraternal order of police," Leahy said. "And no, she's not soft on crime. Her background as a federal public defender would bring an informed perspective of our criminal justice system to the Supreme Court."