CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The U.S. Senate made a historic vote Thursday when the chamber confirmed federal appeals court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as the next Supreme Court justice.
The Senate voted 53-47 to confirm Jackson, in which Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., joined Democratic colleagues in support of the nomination. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., was one of 47 Republicans who opposed confirming Jackson to the high court.
Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined Democrats in supporting the nominee.
President Joe Biden nominated Jackson in February as the successor to retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. When Jackson is sworn in as an associate justice later this year, she will become the first Black female to serve on the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court will also have four female justices for the first time in its history.
The court’s 6-3 conservative majority will remain intact; Breyer is considered a liberal justice.
Manchin and Capito met separately with Jackson ahead of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearings on the nomination. Manchin shared his support for Jackson late last month, noting her judicial record and temperament.
“Judge Jackson’s record and career are exemplary,” he said Thursday in a statement. “She has shown tremendous grace through what has been a difficult confirmation process and has proven without a doubt that she has the temperament and credentials to serve on our nation’s highest court. In doing so, she has bravely paved the way so future generations may follow in her footsteps.”
Manchin previously supported Jackson’s nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Capito voted against the nomination last June.
Capito has cited concerns with Jackson’s judicial philosophy as a reason for her opposition.
“Her view of the Constitution is much more expansive than what I would like to see as a good conservative for me,” she told reporters Thursday.
Capito also noted decisions she considered problematic, saying the opinions reflected Jackson’s political beliefs on balancing powers between branches. Capito, the ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, previously stated she wanted to better understand how Jackson could rule in cases involving regulatory authority; the senator has opposed the Biden administration’s actions and executive orders on climate change.
“I congratulate her,” Capito added. “I think it’s quite an achievement.”
Breyer will serve the remainder of his term before retiring this summer.