President Joe Biden has nominated Kentanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. If confirmed she would be the first black woman to sit on the Supreme Court.

Jackson currently sits on the federal appellate court in Washington D.C. and has been considered a front-running candidate for the vacancy since Justice Bryer announced his retirement.

Jackson served as a federal public defender in Washington. She was also a commissioner on the US Sentencing Commission and served on the federal district court in DC, as an appointee of President Barack Obama, before Biden elevated her to the DC Circuit last year.

According to CNN, Jackson received and accepted Biden’s nomination in a call Thursday night.

All eyes will now turn to the Senate as America awaits their confirmation. President Biden’s party controls the Senate by a very thin margin meaning Jackson will either need all 50 democrats vote and Vice President Kamala Harris’s tie-breaking vote or a bipartisan majority in order to be confirmed.

Many Americans like Thunder Ridge Senior, Bryn Kirkendoll, say “I think it is great that we are finally seeing some diversity in our government and courts. It’s amazing that the court now at least somewhat represents the different genders and races of America.”

Though judge Jackson’s appointment is historic, the choice will not change the political leanings of the court. The Supreme Court currently seats six conservative justices and three liberal justices. If appointed, Jackson would replace Bryer, one of the liberal-leaning justices. 

Justice Bryer announced his retirement in mid-January. Since then President Biden has been reviewing background information about his future pick in order to make an informed nomination. 

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