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President Joe Biden on Friday nominated black magistrate Ketanji Brown Jackson to the United States Supreme Court, a historic first if the magistrate successfully passes the stage of her confirmation by the Senate.
The announcement had been delayed due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. President Joe Biden on Friday, February 25, appointed Federal Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, 51, to the Supreme Court of the United States. If confirmed by the Senate, Ketanji Brown Jackson will be the first black magistrate to sit on the highest judicial institution in the country.
“She is one of our nation’s brightest legal minds,” tweeted the US president, who will formally introduce the magistrate at a ceremony at the White House on Friday afternoon. Ketanji Brown Jackson will have to be confirmed by the Senate to join the body – currently with a conservative majority – which settles the important social debates in the United States.
I’m proud to announce that I am nominating Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the Supreme Court. Currently serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, she is one of our nation’s brightest legal minds and will be an exceptional Justice.https://t.co/iePvhz1YaA pic.twitter.com/Nzqv2AtN8h
President Biden (@POTUS) February 25, 2022
This appointment should trigger a battle for his confirmation in a very divided Senate.
Sixth woman to sit
Previously a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Ketanji Brown Jackson is to replace liberal judge Stephen Meyer, who announced in January that he would retire by this summer. The balance of the Supreme Court, of six conservatives for three liberals, will remain unchanged by this appointment.
The Senate already voted 53 to 44 last year to confirm the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, where she was nominated by President.
She had the support of three Republican senators at the time, and was asked during her hearing about the role race played in her decisions. She replied that she did not play any.
At 51, Ketanji Brown Jackson will be the sixth woman to sit on the highest court in the United States, where judges are appointed for life.
Of the 115 people who served on the Supreme Court, only two were black, and they were both men.
With AFP and Archyde.com