Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in Thursday at noon as the 116th Supreme Court justice and the first Black woman to serve on the high court.
At a noon ceremony at the Supreme Court, Jackson was joined by her husband and two children for the swearing in. A formal investiture will follow in fall.
Jackson took two oaths during the livestreamed event: a constitutional oath, administered by Chief Justice John Roberts, and a judicial oath, administered by Justice Stephen Breyer.
Biden nominated Jackson in February, fulfilling a campaign promise to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court.
“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.
“I have dedicated my career to public service because I love this country and our Constitution and the rights that make us free,” Jackson also said.
Jackson, 51, has been confirmed since April, when the Senate voted 53 to 47 on her nomination. It was expected she would replace 83-year-old Justice Breyer — whom she clerked for after she graduated from Harvard Law School in 1996 — when he stepped down. His retirement will be effective Thursday.
“As this term’s rulings have shown in the most painful ways, this Supreme Court has rapidly become a wrecking ball against Americans’ rights and freedoms. Countless Texans have lost faith in the institution of the Supreme Court — and rightfully so.
Texas Democratic Party Chairman, Gilberto Hinojosa released a statement stating:
“As this term’s rulings have shown in the most painful ways, this Supreme Court has rapidly become a wrecking ball against Americans’ rights and freedoms. Countless Texans have lost faith in the institution of the Supreme Court — and rightfully so.
“But Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, through her historic swearing-in today, serves as a beacon of hope for so many people and, in the face of so much regression, symbolizes so much progress. She will be integral to restoring faith in the institution.
“A brilliant legal mind with a clear and impartial understanding of the Constitution, Justice Jackson will not only be a fair arbiter of the law, but will also show Black girls and women across Texas and the country that they too can take their seat at the table of the Supreme Court.
“We thank President Biden for nominating such an eminently qualified woman to the Court, and thank the Senate – with no thanks to Senators Cornyn or Cruz, who in this moment again chose raw partisan politics as they so often do – for their vote to confirm her to the bench. We look forward to Justice Jackson’s work in the years to come.”
