On the recordApril 7, 2022
I rise today to celebrate the confirmation of now Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as a Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States of America. It is an important moment for our country but also a special moment for me because Angela, my wife, and two of our sons are here visiting the Capitol this week. They witnessed history in the making when we voted to confirm, just a few minutes ago, Justice Jackson. Angela and I take great joy in knowing that not just our three sons but young people across the country will see Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as an example of the great heights that they, too, can achieve. For the very first time in our Nation's history, the Senate has confirmed a Black woman to the Supreme Court of the United States. For only the sixth time, we have confirmed a woman to the Supreme Court, and for the fourth time, we have confirmed a working mother. It is also the first time in 50 years that the Senate has confirmed a Justice with public defense experience. This nomination represents progress, and I am heartened that it was a bipartisan majority of Senators who came together to make history today. I also know that this progress would not have been possible without someone who was brave enough to step ahead on her own; without someone willing to work twice as hard in order to be the first; without someone able to persevere no matter how challenging, how difficult, or how full of doubt her path ahead may sometimes be.…
