President Biden on Friday said that Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation as the first Black female Supreme Court justice represents "a moment of real change" in the U.S.
What he's saying: "This is going to let so much sun shine on so many young women, so many young Black women, so many minorities, that it's real. It's real. We're going to look back, nothing to do with me, we're going to look back and see this as a moment of real change in American history," Biden said at a White House event commemorating the confirmation.
- Biden said Jackson was "fair and impartial, thoughtful, careful, precise, brilliant." He added that she has the "humility that allows so many Americans to see themselves" in her.
Biden thanked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) for successfully handling Jackson's confirmation.
- The president also acknowledged the bipartisan nature of the confirmation vote, thanking Republican Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney for voting in support of Jackson.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who spoke before Biden, said that Jackson "will inspire generations of leaders."
- "The young leaders of our nation will learn from the experience, the judgment, the wisdom that you, Judge Jackson, will apply in every case that comes before you and they will see for the first time four women sitting on that court at one time," Harris said.
Of note: The whole process, from her nomination on Feb. 25 to her confirmation Thursday, took just 42 days, well below the modern average.
