Senator Murray Votes to Confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to Supreme Court

Statement

Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, voted to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court of the United States. Judge Jackson was confirmed by a vote of 53-47. In a speech on the Senate floor, Senator Murray reiterated her strong support for Judge Jackson, highlighting Jackson's outstanding qualifications as a jurist and the historic significance her confirmation would bring to the highest court in the country.

"Judge Jackson is one of the most exceptional Supreme Court nominees I have ever met, and I am so excited that she's on her way to the Supreme Court. It is incredibly well deserved, and incredibly good news for our country," said Senator Murray. "The bottom line for me is always--can I tell my constituents back home in Washington state that if they ever have a case before this judge, this is someone who will listen, someone who will understand, someone who will make a thoughtful, fair decision for them based on the laws of our nation? And the answer with Judge Jackson is a resounding yes."

"She also has experience that is less common on the highest court in the land, and for that reason all the more important. Like her experience on the U.S. Sentencing Commission--a perspective only the retiring Justice Breyer brought to the Supreme Court. Or her experience as a public defender--something no other Supreme Court Justice has ever had. This is so important, and so long overdue. Being a public defender means developing an in-depth understanding of the legal needs of everyday people. Judges from these kinds of legal backgrounds can be better equipped to understand the experiences of each person before them, to recognize the burdens laws often place on people who are living with low incomes or otherwise marginalized, and, ultimately, to render more informed--more just--decisions."

"And Judge Jackson's background is more than simply her resume. It is her perspective growing up as the daughter of two public school teachers, her perspective as a working mother with two daughters of her own, and her perspective as a Black woman, working in a profession where stories like hers were few and far between. I have no doubt that perspective will serve her, and the people who come before her, well as a Supreme Court Justice."

"Ketanji Brown Jackson makes history as the first Black woman to serve on the highest court in the land--though I am sure she will not be the last. Because I know there are little girls across the country watching as the Senate confirms someone who looks like them to the Supreme Court for the first time ever. They aren't just watching history be made. They are watching a barrier fall down, a path open up, and a new future seem more possible than ever before." continued Senator Murray. "I first ran for office because I watched the Supreme Court process and I was frustrated--and today I am no less energized--but for a very different reason. Today, I'm excited. I'm inspired even. And I hope people across the country watching this are too. I hope a future-Senator, or future-Justice, or even future-President is able to talk about what this moment meant to them, and what doors Justice Jackson opened for others."

Senator Murray has been a strong advocate for the confirmation of highly-qualified judicial nominees who reflect the diversity of communities in Washington state and America, pushing for greater professional diversity on the federal bench in particular. Since the start of this Congress, Senator Murray has secured the lifetime appointments of five highly qualified candidates as federal district court judges in Washington state.

Most recently, Senator Murray secured the confirmations of Tana Lin, Washington state's first ever Asian American federal judge and a former public defender and civil rights lawyer; Lauren King, a tribal law expert who is serving as Washington state's first ever Native American federal judge; David Estudillo, the son of Mexican immigrants and a former immigration attorney; and Kit Dimke who is serving in the Eastern District of Washington from the Spokane Courthouse. Senator Murray is currently pushing to confirm Tiffany Cartwright, a leading civil rights lawyer after recently securing the confirmation of John Chun, who will be the first Asian American man to serve as a federal judge in Washington state.

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