Government affairs

In a 53-47 vote, the Senate confirmed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. Jackson’s historic confirmation will make her the first Black woman to serve on the nation’s highest court. She will replace Justice Stephen Breyer, who is retiring this summer after serving 28 years on the Supreme Court.

All 50 Democrats and three Republicans, Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Mitt Romney (R-UT), voted to confirm Jackson on Thursday.

Jackson is a graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Law School. Prior to Jackson's Supreme Court nomination in Feb. 2022, President Biden nominated her to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and she was confirmed with bipartisan support. In 2012, President Obama nominated Jackson to be a district court judge for the U.S. District for D.C. She was confirmed with bipartisan support in 2013. She has also served as the Vice Chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Jackson spent much of her career as a public defender, and she will be the first former public defender to serve on the Supreme Court. Jackson began her career serving as a law clerk to Justice Breyer.

“NALC congratulates Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on her historic confirmation,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said. “She brings exceptional qualifications and legal experience to her new role as a Supreme Court Justice, and we commend her commitment to public service.”

Click here to read a joint statement from labor union leaders in support of Jackson’s nomination.