The U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed Beth Robinson to serve on the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, making her the first out lesbian to serve on any federal district court.

The Senate voted 51-45 in favor of Robinson's confirmation.

Two Republicans – Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine – joined all but one Democrat in confirming Robinson to the federal bench. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat, and Republican Senators Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Marco Rubio of Florida, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina abstained from voting.

President Joe Biden nominated Robinson, 56, in August.

Since 2011, Robinson has been an associate justice on the Vermont Supreme Court. She is also known for her work as a lawyer in the landmark case that effectively legalized marriage equality in Vermont.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders congratulated Robinson on her confirmation.

“I want to congratulate Vermont Supreme Court Justice Beth Robinson for her momentous confirmation today to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals,” Sanders tweeted. “Thank you for your continued service. I know you will make Vermont proud and will be an excellent addition to the federal bench.”

LGBT legal group GLAD said in a statement that Robinson will make “a remarkable asset to our federal judiciary.”

“Justice Robinson’s deep commitments to the rule of law and to equal justice under law – bar none – will make her a remarkable asset to our federal judiciary and our society,” said GLAD's Mary L. Bonauto. “As both a litigator and a Vermont Supreme Court Justice, she knows that law is entwined with people’s lives and has the integrity and humility to see both. Her confirmation as the first openly lesbian judge to serve on a U.S. Court of Appeals is another pivotal moment for a remarkable person and for our country, one that hopefully signals a welcome expansion of wider representation on our nation’s high courts.”

Bonauto, Robinson, and Susan Murray represented three same-sex couples in the landmark 1999 case Baker v. Vermont, in which the Vermont Supreme Court held that the state must guarantee the same protections and benefits to gay and lesbian couples as it does to married heterosexual couples.