History was made in the United States on Thursday as Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in as the first black woman judge in the Supreme Court. She replaces Justice Stephen Breyer – a man she once worked for, as his retirement took effect at noon.
Shattering the glass ceiling, Jackson took oath as the court’s 116th justice. As her family joined her, she recited the two oaths required of Supreme Court justices. One oath was administered by Breyer and the other by Chief Justice John Roberts.
In a statement issued by the US Supreme Court, Jackson said, “with a full heart, I accept the solemn responsibility of supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States and administering justice without fear or favor, so help me God”.
“I am truly grateful to be part of the promise of our great Nation. I extend my sincerest thanks to all of my new colleagues for their warm and gracious welcome,” she added. In a ceremony streamed live on the court’s website, Roberts welcomed Jackson “to the court and our common calling.”
Jackson, who is a federal judge since 2013, joins three other women, Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett as the four women on the nine-member-court. The move accomplishes President Joe Biden’s campaign promise that he would appoint the Supreme Court’s first Black female justice.
According to the Hindu, Biden nominated Jackson in February, a month after Breyer, 83, announced he would retire at the end of the court’s term, assuming his successor had been confirmed. Breyer’s earlier-than-usual announcement and the condition he attached was a recognition of the Democrats’ tenuous hold on the Senate in an era of hyper-partisanship, especially surrounding federal judgeships.
