First woman on high court, O’Connor faced little opposition

By MARK SHERMAN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ninety-nine to zero. That was the tally in 1981 by which the Senate made Sandra Day O’Connor the first female justice on the Supreme Court. Such a lopsided result is certainly not in the cards for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who’d be the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court if she wins Senate confirmation after hearings that begin Monday. Democrats, who hold a Senate majority by virtue of the tiebreaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris, all appear to be on board to support Jackson, and could confirm her without a single Republican vote. Most Republicans, who largely opposed Jackson’s confirmation to a federal appeals court last year, are expected to vote against her again.