Jackson confirmed by Senate in historic vote and text scamming is out of control
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Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmed by Senate as first Black woman on Supreme Court
The Senate's historic vote was 53-47, and three Republicans – Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah – joined every member of the Democratic caucus in voting for her confirmation.
President Joe Biden nominated Jackson in February after Associate Justice Stephen Breyer announced he would retire at the end of this court term. Though confirmed, Jackson, 51, will wait months to take her seat on the bench, until Breyer officially steps down.
When Jackson takes her seat, it will be the first time the court's nine-member bench will include two Black justices and four female justices. "Judge Jackson’s confirmation was a historic moment for our nation," Biden tweeted after the vote. "We’ve taken another step toward making our highest court reflect the diversity of America. She will be an incredible Justice, and I was honored to share this moment with her."
Have you been getting scam text messages on your cell phone? We all have.
The number of phony spam/scam text messages being sent to mobile phones has exploded, with scammers texting ever-more complex cons that seek to separate you from your money.
In 2021, Americans received 87.8 billion spam text messages, according to Robokiller. That was an annual increase of 58%. It also amounts to 263 spam texts a year for every man, woman and child in the entire country.
Some tips: Block numbers from scammers to prevent them from trying to contact you again; never click on links in a text message; ever share your credit card or banking information; never share your full name, home address or Social Security number with someone you never met in person; remember that any photo you upload on social media can be stolen and used by a scammer.
Wisconsin's election review could continue for months as top Republicans meet with Trump and attorney John Eastman
Those conducting Wisconsin's review have blown through three deadlines and are poised to miss the next one. They are supposed to complete their work by the end of April but are on track to keep it going through at least July. Vos last summer gave former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman a taxpayer-funded budget of $676,000 to oversee the review. Vos has taken a hands-off approach to the review and at times has been left out of the loop.
Meanwhile, Vos turned over more than 10,000 emails to a liberal group this week as part of an open records dispute over the election review. The production of the emails was disclosed Thursday during a court hearing. The emails — which include routine exchanges going back more than a decade — have not yet been released to the general public.
And Gableman skipped Tuesday's election, instead, he traveled to Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where the former president praised him. Gableman’s decision not to cast a ballot comes as he insists voting is sacred and argues some people are losing their faith in Wisconsin’s elections.
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The Money
PAPER: Wisconsin’s $18 billion paper industry, employing more than 30,000 people, faces a labor shortage even with the shutdown of mills that were a cornerstone of rural communities. The industry’s share of workers under age 25, at less than nine percent, is among the lowest in manufacturing. Many of the state’s paper factories are in counties where population growth has been stagnant or in decline, a new study from the Wisconsin Paper Council has revealed.
KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Could Foxconn be stalling development to dodge the statute of limitations on fraud?
EXCLUSIVE: After 66 years of operation, The Exclusive Company, a Wisconsin-based record store chain, will close all its locations in the coming months.
The Fun Stuff
NEW BARS: Milwaukee bar veteran Jake Dehne, who owns RWB Milwaukee, is set to open two new spots by summer, both near Fiserv Forum downtown. One concept is State Street Pizza Pub, which would bring personal pizzas, beer and hard seltzer to the former Point Burger Express location. The other will be Lucky Clover Irish Pub, next to RWB Milwaukee.
SERB HALL: The Milwaukee tradition that is the Serb Hall fish fry is returning Friday with drive-thru only.
The Games
BREWERS: It was an entertaining game but the Brewers came up short on Opening Day at Wrigley Field.
BUCKS: The Bucks beat the Celtics 127-121 to keep a No. 2 playoff seed in play.
TIGER: Incredibly, just over a year after his right leg was shattered in a car accident, Tiger Woods returned to the Masters and finished the first day 1-under par.
Around Wisconsin
OSHKOSH: Flying electric cars are coming — and Oshkosh's airport might be one of the few places to charge them.
FOND DU LAC: A chemical gas leak from Milk Specialties Global factory forced the evacuation of the plant and neighborhood in Fond du Lac.
Today in Wisconsin History
Four days after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., 14,000 (police estimate) to 25,000 (organizers' estimate) people marched down Wisconsin Ave. on April 8, 1968, to honor the civil rights leader's memory. The Milwaukee Sentinel called it the "biggest rights march" in the city's history.
Today's Weather
How about more wintry mix? Rain and snow showers after 2 p.m. High of 38. Lovely. It doesn't look much better in Chicago so game 2 of the Brewers season is in some doubt.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jackson confirmed by Senate in historic vote
