New York leaders applaud Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's historic nomination for U.S. Supreme Court
NEW YORK -- Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court continued a trend from President Biden. Seventy percent of federal judges appointed by him so far are people of color. Most are women.
CBS2's Tony Aiello got reaction to Jackson's historic nomination from local leaders who also made history in their chosen fields.
Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the first Black woman to lead the New York State Senate, called it an incredible moment in American history.
"It's just an awakening, I think, for so many of us who've waited for a moment where we would see ourselves reflected on the highest court in the land," Stewart-Cousins said. "The American dream, when we work at is, is very, very real."
Yonkers City Council President Lakisha Collins-Bellamy, the first Black woman to win a citywide election in Yonkers, was impressed with Judge Jackson's experience as a public defender.
"As an African American woman, she has unique professional and personal experiences that she will bring to the bench, and also she's the first to serve as a public defender, so she has that heart for judicial justice in our system," Collins-Bellamy said.
Watch Tony Aiello's report --
Dr. Belinda Miles, the first Black woman to lead Westchester County's largest college, said the nomination will inspire students to dream big.
"This historic nomination will create a wonderful and really dynamic role model for women and girls who are still working to crack the glass ceiling and cross the colorline across various sectors, even in 2022," said Dr. Miles, president of SUNY Westchester Community College.
Inspiring she is to the next generation of lawyers, like Soumya Kandukuri, a first-year law student at NYU.
"It's been a long time coming for us to have a Black woman on the Supreme Court. She's already an incredible judge, so just really excited and proud. This is a very momentous occasion," she told CBS2's Thalia Perez.
Minister Mark McLean, president of the NAACP branch in New Rochelle, said after Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas, it's time for a Black woman to rise to the highest court.
"The Black woman has been a foundational force in our community and for far too long she has been underrepresented," McLean said.
Three Republican senators voted for Judge Jackson when she was nominated for the U.S. Court of Appeals. The White House hopes to get at least three GOP votes to confirm Jackson to the high court.
