Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed in the Senate by a vote of 53 to 47. She will not be sworn in immediately. Jackson will be sworn in after current Justice Stephen Breyer retires this summer.
Three Republicans joined a united Democratic party in voting to end the debate on Jackson and move forward with a vote.
Senator Rand Paul had been the lone senator not to vote, holding up the confirmation slightly. Paul eventually voted no, confirming Jackson to the applause of Democratic senators.
Vice President and President of the Senate Kamala Harris was visibly elated as she made the announcement. No African American women voted on Brown's confirmation, but Harris did preside over the vote.
Senator Susan Collins of Maine was the first Republican senator to announce that she would be voting for Brown. She was joined by Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah.
Republican opponents called Brown soft on crime, questioned her views on packing the court, and accused her of giving out light sentences in child porn cases. Those attacks did not stick and Brown was confirmed with less difficulty than previous appointments.
Senator Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont, said that the nomination of a black woman to the Supreme Court is "long overdue" but that he is not voting for her because of that but because she is "objectively qualified". He also said criticisms of her "fell flat" and "only served the vitriol" of partisan politics.
Jackson and President Biden watched the confirmation hearings together in the Roosevelt Room in the White House. The two of them, along with Vice President Harris, will give a statement together on Friday.
Justice Breyer told President Biden in a letter that he would retire at the end of the Supreme Court's current term, expected in late June or early July, after which Jackson will be officially sworn in.