Emotional photos show Biden and Ketanji Brown Jackson celebrating Supreme Court confirmation

President Joe Biden celebrated Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Senate confirmation to the Supreme Court with her on Thursday, with moving photos showing the two embracing as they watched the historic vote together from the White House.

The Senate confirmed Jackson to the Supreme Court in a 53-47 vote, making her the first black woman and former public defender to serve on the nation’s highest court. His position on the court will also mark the first time in the court’s history that the majority of judges will not be white men.

Jackson was nominated by Biden, who has vowed since his presidential campaign that he would choose a black woman for a Supreme Court seat. The future justice joined the president Thursday in the Roosevelt Room of the White House to watch the Senate vote on television.

Photos from the room showed Biden and Jackson embracing emotionally as the television behind them showed the number of votes in favor at 51 – the majority needed for the judge to gain access to the High Court. The two held hands as they watched the final vote go into the count, completing the Senate confirmation process.

Biden tweeted from his account after Brown’s confirmation, posting a photo showing the president taking a selfie with the future justice.

“Judge Jackson’s confirmation was a historic moment for our nation,” he tweeted. “We have gone one step further to ensure that our highest court reflects America’s diversity. She will be incredible justice, and I was honored to share this moment with her.

Equally emotional was Vice President Kamala Harris, who, as a black woman, presided over the Senate vote to confirm a black woman to the Supreme Court. Harris was shown smiling as she announced both the start of the Senate vote count and the result confirming Jackson to the high court.

“I am thrilled and feel a deep sense of pride in who we are as a nation,” Harris told reporters as she left the Senate.

Here are more photos from the scene in the White House’s Roosevelt Room, where Biden and Jackson celebrated the judge’s confirmation to the nation’s highest court.