NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee lawmakers on Thursday confirmed one of the top lawyers from the attorney general's office to the state Supreme Court, solidifying what will likely be a shift even further right for the court.

The General Assembly, where Republicans hold supermajorities, voted to install Tennessee Associate Solicitor General Sarah Campbell on the court. Campbell has represented the state on appeals ranging from abortion restrictions to absentee ballots. The 39-year-old Campbell previously had stints as a law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and for Judge William Pryor on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. She joined Attorney General Herbert Slatery's office in 2015.

The House cast a 93-1 vote in her favor, while the Senate voted 29-0.

In a statement, Campbell pledged to remain objective in her duties.

"I do not take the task before me lightly," Campbell said in a news release. "The job of a judge is to decide cases fairly and impartially by applying neutral, objective principles. That is how I will approach each case that comes before me."

Last month, Republican Gov. Bill Lee picked Campbell from a list of three candidates recommended by the governor's judicial nominating panel. He touted her experience and said her "originalist interpretation of the state and federal constitutions will serve Tennesseans well."

Calling Campbell "an immensely qualified and intelligent lawyer," Democratic Senate Minority Leader Jeff Yarbro said he doesn't think Democrats want to get in the position of "making everything about ideology and politics."

Yarbro said the 'yes' votes from Democrats are "hopeful votes that the independence of the judiciary will actually still hold, even in a troubled time."

The seat was left vacant by the death of Justice Cornelia Clark last September at the age of 71. She had been diagnosed with cancer.

Clark was appointed by former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen. All the remaining justices but one — Sharon Lee, also a Bredesen pick — were appointees of former Republican Gov. Bill Haslam. The five Supreme Court justices face "yes-no" retention elections every eight years.

Campbell's appellate resume also includes work defending Tennessee's lethal injection protocol for executions. At the trial court level, she has cited work on a lawsuit by Tennessee and 19 other states seeking to halt directives by President Joe Biden's administration that extend federal sex discrimination protections to LGBTQ people, ranging from transgender girls participating in school sports to the use of school and workplace bathrooms that align with a person's gender identity.

During her interview for high court in December, Campbell told a nominating panel there would be an "adjustment period" going from an advocate for the state's positions to a neutral judge, but she said she thinks it would only take a short time to adapt, citing her previous judicial clerkships.

Campbell credited the conservative Federalist Society, which had a chapter with events when she attended Duke University for law school, with helping to make her views on legal issues deeper and more nuanced. Campbell, who attended the University of Tennessee for undergraduate school, also worked for Williams and Connolly LLP in Washington.

Republican Senate Speaker Randy McNally was not on hand for Campbell's confirmation vote Thursday. He tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday and is experiencing minor symptoms, said his spokesperson, Adam Kleinheider.