Senate Confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson To Supreme Court

deadline.com:

The Senate voted to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court on Thursday, clearing the way for her to become the first Black woman to serve on the high court.The vote was 53-47, reflecting the increasing partisan divisions over recent confirmations of nominees to the bench.

Three Republicans — Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney — joined with all members of the Democratic caucus to confirm her.Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the vote, a rare event in which all members were present in their seats during the roll call.

As she announced the final tally, the chamber erupted into sustained applause.Major broadcast networks provided special reports of the moment, in addition to cable news networks.

There was a moment of some drama, as senators waited for Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to show up. After about 15 minutes, he finally did.Although her confirmation was never really in doubt, given that Democrats control the Senate, Jackson’s confirmation hearings were surprisingly contentious, as Republican members of the Judiciary Committee raised issues about her sentencing of those convicted of possession of underage child porn, arguing that she had delivered punishment below recommended guidelines.