WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Ketanji Brown Jackson has been sworn as the 116th Supreme Court justice and the first Black woman to serve on the high court. She was sworn in on Thursday, June 30. The ceremony caps a months-long process that essentially began February, when President Biden, fulfilling a campaign promise to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, announced Jackson, 51, as his pick to replace Justice Stephen Breyer, 83. Breyer — whom Jackson clerked for after she graduated from Harvard Law School in 1996 — officially retired Thursday, paving the way for her to be sworn in.
“For too long, our government, our courts haven’t looked like America,” Biden said when he nominated her. “And I believe it’s time that we have a court that reflects the full talents and greatness of our nation with a nominee of extraordinary qualifications and that we inspire all young people to believe that they can one day serve their country at the highest level.”
At the noon ceremony at the Supreme Court, Jackson, took two oaths: a constitutional oath, administered by Chief Justice John Roberts, and a judicial oath, administered by Breyer. A formal investiture for Jackson will follow in fall.
Jackson will have to contend with significant cases next term, including those involving affirmative action (which she may recuse herself from), the independent legislature theory, and religious freedom. Jackson has been confirmed since April, when the Senate voted 53 to 47 on her nomination. “It has taken 232 years and 115 prior appointments for a Black woman to be selected to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, but we’ve made it! We’ve made it — all of us,” Jackson said in remarks at a White House event the day after the Senate vote.