After hearings that were at times combative, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson becomes the first Black woman on the high court. The vote was 53 to 47, with three Republicans voting with Senate Democrats.
It was an emotional day for longtime U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Dallas), who fought back tears.
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson becomes the first Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court.
“It was an experience that I wasn’t sure I would ever see,” said Johnson.
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Johnson said this will have a great impact on young people throughout the world, knowing the possibilities of fairness and justice.
“I think that it adds a lot more sense of positiveness in this nation when you have a person you can relate to, that can sit there and be a part of major decisions that affects every life in this nation. It is very important,” said Johnson.
It is a decision also cheered by Dr. Sheron C Patterson, the Senior Pastor of Hamilton Park United Methodist Church. She will talk about the confirmation at services this weekend.
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“Seeing her on that high level the optics of it is healing for our souls because when you can see yourself reflected in a high position it is a bomb to our souls. Our ancestors could never have dreamed of something so magnificent,” said Patterson.
As a second-year law student at UNT Dallas, Ideisha Shanklin teamed up with classmates to help educate the public on the confirmation process through the Pass Her the Gavel campaign.
When a friend called her with the news that Jackson would become the next justice, she broke down in tears.
"Words cannot express the joy I feel inside right now. As a black woman, as a first-generation law student, who comes from humble beginnings, what this has just shown me is that there's no limit to what I can accomplish and what black women can accomplish in this country," said Shanklin.
Shonn Brown, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Kimberly-Clark, celebrated the news with other Dallas attornies and business leaders from the Dallas Assembly while on a trip to Washington, D.C.
“I think as a country, I don’t know how we can say liberty and justice for all, or that we’re a place of opportunity if that opportunity doesn’t come with equity. And this is one example of evidence of being able to achieve some sense of equity, and that’s why representation matters. Because if you don’t see it, then you don’t believe that you can achieve it and that’s why it’s important to have that visual," said Brown.
Judge Jackson's confirmation keeps the current six to three ideological balance on the Supreme Court.
