Nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHUMER. Now, Mr. President, the Senate gavels in this morning for a joyous, momentous, groundbreaking day. This morning, we will vote to end debate on the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to be a Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, and, later this afternoon, the Senate will fulfill its constitutional duty to finally confirm this remarkable and groundbreaking jurist.

The cloture vote is scheduled to take place at approximately 11 a.m., and we will aim to vote on final confirmation in the afternoon, the time depending on how many Members wish to speak.

Today is a culmination--a culmination for more than 6 weeks where this Chamber has examined and debated and questioned Judge Jackson on her record and her qualifications. Every step of the way the judge has proved herself exceptionally qualified, thoughtful, and prepared to serve on the Court. As I said, she encapsulates the three b's: brilliant, beloved, and belongs. She belongs on the Supreme Court. It is now up to us to finish the work that the President entrusted us to do.

So today is also a joyous celebration in another way. In the 233-year history of the Supreme Court, never, never has a Black woman held the title of Justice. Ketanji Brown Jackson will be the first, and I believe the first of more to come.

This milestone should have happened generations ago--generations ago--but we are always trodding on a path toward a more perfect Union. Nevertheless, America today is taking a giant step toward making our Union more perfect.

People sometimes talk about standing on the shoulder of giants. Well, Judge Jackson will go down in history as an American giant upon whose shoulders others will stand tall, and our democracy will be better off for it.

I will have more to say later this afternoon, prior to the final vote on the confirmation, but for now I want to thank Chairman Durbin of the Senate Judiciary Committee for beautifully executing the nomination, all the members of the Judiciary Committee for their thoughtful and respectful--all my Democratic colleagues on the Judiciary Committee for their thoughtful and insightful examination of the judge's record, and I want to thank those Republican Senators who chose to take this process seriously.

So it is truly a joyous day; joyous for the Senate, joyous for the Court, joyous for America.

Let us finish the work today of confirming Judge Jackson, finally, to the Supreme Court of the United States.

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