PoliticsIn the moments leading up to her historic Supreme Court confirmation vote in the Senate,
Biden promised to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court during the 2020 campaign. Once Justice Stephen Breyer officially retires this summer, Jackson will be sworn in and become the nation's first Black woman to serve on the nation's highest court.
Jackson will be the 116th justice in the Supreme Court's 233-year history.
The only other Black justices have been Justice Clarence Thomas and the late Justice Thurgood Marshall, the court's first Black justice. Justice Sandra Day O'Conner became the first woman to serve on the court in 1981 when she was appointed by former President Ronald Reagan.
Since O'Connor's appointment, the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg along with Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett have been the only other women confirmed to the position by the Senate.
"Judge Jackson's confirmation was a historic moment for our nation," Biden tweeted following the Senate vote. "We've taken another step toward making our highest court reflect the diversity of America. She will be an incredible Justice, and I was honored to share this moment with her."
Jackson is the daughter of former public school teachers and grew up in Miami, Fla. A Harvard Law School graduate, the 51-year-old jurist currently serves on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit.