“Every single Republican blocked Ketanji Brown Jackson’s SCOTUS appointment.”
Stand up for the facts!
Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.
I would like to contribute
Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson testifies during her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 23, 2022. (AP)
Three Republicans voted to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, despite claims
If Your Time is short
- Last year, Kentanji Brown Jackson was confirmed to the Supreme Court on a 53-47 vote in the Senate. Three Republican senators — Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Mitt Romney of Utah — joined all 50 Democrats in voting to confirm Jackson.
Social media remembrances on Martin Luther King Jr. Day included shoutouts to prominent Black leaders, including Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who became the first Black woman appointed to the court in 2022.
Occupy Democrats, a liberal advocacy group, encouraged its followers to be skeptical of Republican leaders who celebrated King’s civil rights legacy.
"Every single Republican blocked Ketanji Brown Jackson’s SCOTUS appointment and (did) everything they could to prevent the 1st African American woman from being seated," read the text inside of a photo in an Occupy Democrats post on Facebook.
The Jan. 16 post also claimed all Republicans voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court in 2018. "Remember this while the MAGAs all post about Martin Luther King Jr.," the Facebook post concluded.
This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
Sign up for PolitiFact texts
Occupy Democrats retracted the post after we asked them about it.
The claim was originally shared Jan. 15 on Twitter by Dash Dobrofsky, the author of a political newsletter called The Gen Z Perspective. Dobrofsky replied to the tweet and corrected himself a few hours after it was posted.
Jackson was confirmed to the Supreme Court on a 53-47 vote on April 7, 2022, according to the Senate roll call. Three Republican senators — Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Mitt Romney of Utah — joined all 50 Democrats in voting to confirm Jackson.
Featured Fact-check
In October 2018, all but two Republicans voted to confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Murkowski voted present and Sen. Steve Daines of Montana did not vote. One Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, joined 49 Republicans in voting yes. The final vote tally was 50-48. Supreme Court nominations require a simple majority to pass in the Senate.
Our ruling
Social media posts claimed, "Every single Republican blocked Ketanji Brown Jackson’s SCOTUS appointment."
Three Republican senators voted to confirm Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court.
We rate this claim False.
Our Sources
Facebook post, Jan. 16, 2023
Tweet, Jan. 15, 2023
Tweet, Jan. 15, 2023
United States Senate, Roll Call Vote on Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court nomination, April 7, 2022
United States Senate, Roll Call Vote on Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination, Oct. 6, 2018
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Sara Swann
Three Republicans voted to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, despite claims
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.