“Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court is the realization of a long-cherished and long-awaited dream. The National Partnership for Women & Families rejoices to see a jurist of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s stellar caliber join our nation’s highest Court.

“Jackson’s professional credentials, depth of experience, intellectual heft, and judicial temperament all point to the historic impact she will make on the Court. She will bring unprecedented and much-needed diversity in terms of her background and perspective, as the first former public defender and the first Black woman to serve on the Court. Her elevation is incredibly well-deserved.

“When Ketanji Brown Jackson enters the Supreme Court chambers for the first time as an associate justice, multitudes will enter alongside her. She represents not only past generations of Black women who sought full citizenship through the Courts and helped secure many of the civil and women’s rights that we now enjoy, but also young Black and Brown girls of today, who may see themselves and new possibilities in her and choose to become public defenders, judges, or even Supreme Court justices.

“As we celebrate Jackson’s confirmation, we must also recognize the work of advocates, many of them Black women, who championed the appointment of the first Black woman to the Supreme Court. Their hard work, persistence, and vision of what the Court should be helped bring us to this milestone. That persistence, coupled with Judge Jackson’s professional excellence and personal dignity, successfully stymied attempts by Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to distort her record, score political points, stoke racist fears, and inflame and activate their base against this confirmation.

“The confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is a moment that we should all take pride in – because she represents the very best of what our nation stands for and aspires to be. This victory has given us the chance to pause, reflect and celebrate, and return to the fray undaunted as we continue the quest to make our courts more representative of the nation they serve.”