WASHINGTON: Senators in the United States have voted to submit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination to the Supreme Court for floor debate and votes.
After the Judiciary Committee deadlocked in its voting, three Republicans joined Democrats for a 53-47 vote to discharge Jackson's nomination to the full Senate, as per reports.
It was the first time the Senate had to take this procedure for a Supreme Court nominee since 1853. Following Monday's vote, Jackson is expected to be confirmed as the Supreme Court's first African-American female justice by the end of the week.
Charles Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader and a Democrat, is set to schedule a first vote on Jackson's nomination on Thursday. The majority of Republicans in the upper house are opposed to her candidacy, therefore a final decision could be postponed until Friday.
President Joe Biden nominated Jackson, 51, to succeed liberal Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who is set to retire this summer. Jackson is presently a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which is widely regarded as the country's second most influential court.
The Supreme Court is the country's final appellate court, with the authority to review and overturn lower court rulings, as well as the final interpreter of federal law, including the country's constitution. The justices are appointed for life and can serve until they die, resign, retire, or are impeached and removed.
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