Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has been confirmed as the first Black woman Supreme Court justice, CBS News reports.

The 51-year-old, who was serving on D.C.’s federal appellate court, had been considered the front-runner for the Supreme Court vacancy since Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement, CNN reports

During an interview with Blavity, Danielle Conley, the president’s highest-ranking Black female attorney at the White House, said Jackson’s nomination was “critical.”

“I think that the impact for America is that people have faith in systems when they look up and they see people who look like them,” Conley said. “The fact that little girls and little Black girls, in particular, will look at Justice Jackson’s confirmation and say ‘I can do this, the sky’s the limit, there’s someone who looks like me on the court.’ And that really is powerful.”

Jackson’s extensive resume includes her experience as a clerk for Breyer, as well as her work as a federal public defender, an attorney in private practice, a federal district court judge and a member of the US Sentencing Commission.

“Justice Jackson will bring to the Supreme Court, the highest level of skill, integrity, civility and grace,” Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, the Judiciary Committee chairman, said on Monday. “This committee’s action today is nothing less than making history. I’m honored to be part of it.”

On Wednesday, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer spoke on the Senate floor and said he has no doubts the justice will “pave the way for others in the future.”

“The exultation among so many who have waited for this moment, of young girls throughout America who may say, I can do this, too. The untapped potential, even for young people, particularly women of color, who are not interested in the law or the Supreme Court, but to say I can go somewhere, I can do something, I can get there, is going to be great for America,” Schumer said in a release shared with Blavity.

Senate Republicans who opposed Jackson’s confirmation expressed concerns about her judicial philosophy and the rulings she made in some criminal cases. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said “she will prove to be the most extreme and the furthest-left justice ever to serve on the United States Supreme Court.” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., described Jackson as someone who would “coddle criminals and terrorists.”

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said the judge was too lenient in her sentencing for cases of child pornography and representation of detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

“My decision is based upon her record of judicial activism, flawed sentencing methodology regarding child pornography cases and a belief Judge Jackson will not be deterred by the plain meaning of the law when it comes to liberal causes,” Graham said.

According to CNN, the records show that the judge has mostly followed common judicial sentencing practices in child pornography cases. In regards to Guantanamo Bay, Jackson’s four clients were eventually released because they were not convicted.

Lisa Murkowski, one of the few Republican senators who supported the judge, praised Jackson’s “demeanor and temperament.”

“My support rests on Judge Jackson’s qualifications, which no one questions; her demonstrated judicial independence; her demeanor and temperament; and the important perspective she would bring to the court as a replacement for Justice Breyer,” Murkowski said on Monday. “It also rests on my rejection of the corrosive politicization of the review process for Supreme Court nominees, which, on both sides of the aisle, is growing worse and more detached from reality by the year.”