Republicans were eager to drag the reputation of Ketanji Brown Jackson through the mud during her Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, but on Thursday their words meant little to the Democrats who were eager to take part in history in the making.
Ms Jackson was confirmed to the Supreme Court on Thursday in a historic 53-47 vote that made her the first Black woman in the nation’s history to serve on the high court.
Ahead of the vote, Sen Elizabeth Warren spoke to The Independent about the day’s events and whether the GOP had succeeded in diminishing the importance of her confirmation.
“This is historic. Her voice will be heard for generations to come. I am so excited to go and cast my vote,” Ms Warren declared.
“We will not let the Republicans rain on this glorious day,” she continued.
The Massachusetts senator added that much of the GOP’s criticism during the hearings focused on charges that were described by uninvolved legal experts as misrepresentations of the judge’s record, and added that the Democrats wouldn’t let a bunch of “made up stuff” get in the way of confirming the first Black woman to the nation’s highest court.
Ms Warren’s remarks summarised the general mood of the Democratic caucus, which erupted into celebration following the vote on Thursday while their Republican colleagues largely shuffled out of the room.
They also echoed the feelings of Sen Cory Booker, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and one of just three Black men currently serving in the upper chamber, who declared that Republicans would not be able to take away his “joy” at seeing Ms Jackson nominated to the Court during an emotional statement delivered during the confirmation hearings.
"It's hard for me not to look at you and not see my mom, not to see my cousins...one of them who had to come here and sit behind you," the senator said. "She had to have your back. I see my ancestors and yours."
"Nobody's gonna steal that joy," he added. "Nobody's taking this away from me."
Ms Jackson will not take a seat on the Court immediately; her service will begin with the next term, as she is replacing Justice Stephen Breyer whose retirement will take effect at the end of the Court’s current session.
