Following more than 24 hours of heated debate and testimony on the Senate floor and dozens of protests leading up to the vote, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) was confirmed as attorney general on Feb. 8 in a 52-47 vote, with only one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), voting yes.
Debate came to a head the evening of Feb. 7, when Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) was silenced under Rule 19 after reading a 1986 letter from Coretta Scott King opposing Sessions' appointment to a federal judgeship, saying he "has used the awesome power of his office to chill the free exercise of the vote by black citizens."
"She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted," Sen. Mitch McConnell (R- Ky.) said, causing #shepersisted to immediately begin trending on Twitter as progressives used the hashtag as a rallying cry.
Racism is a central concern among those in opposition, including faith leaders and Christian theologians who said that Sessions, "does not embrace the conception of justice that we hold as Christians; we have no confidence in his ability to enforce the values we share as Americans. His racist track record erodes the trust of many of the members of our faith communities and we are united in our opposition to his nomination."
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