Jackson was appointed to the Supreme Court on Thursday.
The Senate voted to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court on Thursday, and the world is celebrating her place in history as the first Black woman to serve on the nation's highest court.
Jackson, who will be the second-youngest justice at 51 years old, is the first former federal public defender to ever be nominated to the Supreme Court. She will be the only justice besides Justice Sonia Sotomayor on the high court with actual trial experience. Her appointment also marks the first time two African Americans will sit on the Supreme Court simultaneously, and the first time there will be four women on the high court serving together.
"This is a wonderful day, a joyous day, an inspiring day for the Senate, for the Supreme Court and for the United States of America," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said before the vote. "Today is one of the brightest lights, and let us hope it's a metaphor, an indication of many more bright lights to come."
Politicians like Representative Ilhan Omar, Hillary Clinton and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shared similar sentiments on their social media accounts.
"Georgians sent Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff to the Senate which made today possible," Rep. Omar wrote.
"Congratulations to Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman and first public defender on the Supreme Court," Clinton wrote. "Without the commitment of voters and organizers to take back the Senate and White House, this historic moment might not have happened. Well done. Onward."
Their congratulations joined the words of celebrities such as Padma Lakshmi, Elijah Wood, Adina Porter, and more.
"History is made! What a proud day for our country," Lakshmi tweeted.
"Welcome Ketanji Brown Jackson! Incredible historic confirmation to the Supreme Court," Wood wrote.
"She. Has. Risen. @sistascotus," actress Yvette Nicole Brown tweeted. "Welcome NEW Supreme Court Justice #KetanjiBrownJackson."
Jackson's confirmation as the 116th justice in U.S. history received bipartisan backing, with a final vote of 53 to 47 in the upper chamber. Three Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah, joined all 50 Democrats in supporting President Biden's nominee. Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman and first woman of color to hold the role, presided over the Senate during the vote.
"On this vote, the yays are 53. The nays are 47 and this nomination is confirmed," Harris said to rousing applause from senators.
Jackson's appointment to the high court is likely to be a significant component of Biden's legacy, and marked his first opportunity to make his imprint on the Supreme Court. But Jackson will not take the bench immediately, as Justice Stephen Breyer, whose seat she will fill, is poised to retire at the end of the Supreme Court's term this summer.
See more famous reactions to Jackson's appointment ahead.
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