The United States Senate is set to vote on Thursday to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, paving the path for Jackson to become the nation’s first black woman on the nation’s top court.
“It will be a joyous day. Joyous for the Senate, joyous for the Supreme Court, joyous for America, “Senator Chuck Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader, stated Wednesday evening. “America tomorrow will take a giant step to becoming a perfect union.”
The time of President Joe Biden’s appearance following the afternoon vote, which is slated to begin around 1:45 p.m., or whether Vice President Kamala Harris, as Senate president, would preside over the chamber for the historic moment, is unknown.
While Democrats have the votes necessary to confirm Biden’s candidate on their own, three Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Mitt Romney — will break with the GOP to join them, ensuring a solid, bipartisan victory for the Biden White House in a hyperpartisan Washington. Democrats did not vote for former President Donald Trump’s last nominee, Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
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If Jackson is approved, she isn’t expected to be sworn in until the summer, when Justice Stephen Breyer will be leaving.
Jackson was interrogated for about 24 hours by senators during the, at times, acrimonious and emotional sessions.
“In your nomination, did you notice that people from the left were pretty much cheering you on?” Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina questioned
Not a single justice has been a black woman. You, Judge Jackson, can be the first, Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., stated.
Meanwhile, numerous Republicans attacked Jackson, accusing her of being a liberal activist and “soft on crime”—citing her nine child pornography convictions, criticizing her legal assistance for Guantanamo Bay captives, and casting doubt on progressive groups’ support.
“In your nomination, did you notice that people from the left were pretty much cheering you on?” Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina questioned.
Last year, Graham voted for Jackson to be a judge for life, but this time he says he won’t vote for her. He also says that if Republicans had had control of the Senate, Jackson wouldn’t have had a hearing at all.
Others within the GOP urged Jackson to explain critical race theory, to clarify if newborns are racist, and to define “woman” – queries Democrats repeatedly condemned as they defended Jackson’s record and lauded her temperament.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK