The historic resonance of the moment has been tempered by the polarized reception that Jackson received in the Senate, which has been riven by an escalating series of grievances surrounding judicial nominations stretching back four decades. Jackson’s tally is likely to fall well short of those earned by previous trailblazing nominees, such as Thurgood Marshall, the first Black justice, who was confirmed 69-11 in 1967, or Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman, who was confirmed 99-0 in 1981.
Democrats’ jubilation has also been accompanied by a measure of anger at the rhetoric some Republicans employed in attacking Jackson’s nomination, aimed at stoking GOP campaign attacks on Democrats as being soft on crime and indulgent of radical views on race and gender.
