Mr. President, today is a historic day. Today, each Member of the Senate will have the opportunity to cast a vote on the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to be an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. I say ``historic'' because throughout our Nation's history, only 115 people have served on the Supreme Court. Until now, only five of the Supreme Court Justices have been women. Only two of the Justices have been Black. And none has been a Black woman. So history, indeed, and long overdue. But I am not going to cast my vote in support of Judge Jackson's confirmation because she is a woman or because she is Black; I will cast that vote because she is eminently qualified to serve in the position to which she has been nominated. Her nomination shouldn't just be welcomed; it should be celebrated. It is a major step forward for our democracy. It is further widening the lens to help make our Nation more inclusive and more representative with each passing generation. She is one of the most qualified nominees to the Supreme Court that I have ever considered in my 48 years here: a graduate of Harvard and Harvard Law School; a judicial clerk at the district, circuit, and Supreme Court levels; a Federal appellate judge; a Federal district court judge; a member of the U.S. Sentencing Commission; an attorney in private practice. And she will be the first ever Justice who has served as a public defender, bringing that much needed perspective to the Court.…
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