The vote means Jackson will take office at the end of the court's current term — likely in June or July — when Justice Stephen Breyer is expected to step down. Her appointment would not disrupt the current 6 to 3 conservative balance on the Supreme Court.

    "This is a wonderful day, a joyous day, an inspiring day for the Senate, for the Supreme Court and for the United States of America," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Thursday, calling Jackson "brilliant," "beloved," and saying she "belongs" on the Supreme Court.

    "This is one of the great moment of American history," he said.

    Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., unsuccessfully fought to scuttle Jackson's nomination in recent weeks.

    "These days, the Senate takes an assertive role. In particular, most senators do not merely check résumés and basic legal qualifications but also look into judicial philosophy," he said Wednesday.

    McConnell and other Republicans have criticized Jackson, a judge on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for Washington, D.C., for not embracing "originalism," a framework of narrow constitutional interpretation popular in conservative legal and activist circles. Some have also accused her of having issued lenient sentences in cases involving child exploitation when she was a trial judge.