President Joe Biden celebrated Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Senate confirmation to the Supreme Court with her on Thursday, with emotional photos showing the two embracing as they watched the historic vote together from the White House.
The Senate confirmed Jackson to the Supreme Court in a 53-47 vote, making her the first Black woman and former public defender to serve on the nation’s highest court. Her position on the court will also mark the first time in the court’s history that the majority of justices will not be white men.
Jackson was nominated by Biden, who vowed since his presidential campaign that he would choose a Black woman for a seat on the Supreme Court. The future justice joined the president on Thursday in the White House’s Roosevelt Room to watch the Senate’s vote on television.
Photos from the room showed Biden and Jackson emotionally embracing each other as the television behind them displayed the number of votes in favor at 51 — the majority needed for the judge to advance to the high court. The two held hands as they watched the final vote get entered into the count, completing the Senate confirmation process.
Biden tweeted from his account after Brown’s confirmation, posting a photo showing the president taking a selfie with the future justice.
“Judge Jackson’s confirmation was a historic moment for our nation,” he tweeted. “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.”
Equally emotional was Vice President Kamala Harris, who as a Black woman presided over the Senate vote to confirm a Black woman to the Supreme Court. Harris was shown smiling as she both announced the beginning of the Senate vote count and the result confirming Jackson to the high court.
“I am feeling overjoyed and I am feeling a deep sense of pride in who we are as a nation,” Harris told reporters as she was leaving the Senate.
Here are more photos of the scene from the White House’s Roosevelt Room, where Biden and Jackson celebrated the judge’s confirmation to the highest court in the country.
