Ketanji Brown Jackson has been sworn into the Supreme Court. She created history as the first Black woman on the supreme court.
In a statement issued by the 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.
The ceremony was broadcasted live on the Court’s official website, where Roberts welcomed Jackson “to the court and our common calling.”
Jackson, a federal judge since 2013, is joining three other women — Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Amy Coney Barrett. It’s the first time four women will serve together on the nine-member court.
Jackson was nominated by Biden in February after Breyed had announced that he would retire at the end of the term of the court, with the assumption that his successor had been confirmed. In an era of hyper-partisanship, particularly with regard to federal judgeships, Breyer’s earlier-than-usual announcement and the condition he attached were an acknowledgment of the Democrats’ precarious hold on the Senate.
Early in April, the Senate approved Jackson’s candidacy with a vote of 53-47 that was largely along party lines and even included three Republicans.
Jackson continued to serve as a judge on the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., but she had not been hearing any cases since, left in a judicial limbo of sorts. She was appointed by President Barack Obama as a district judge, but Biden promoted her to that court.
Jackson will be able to start work immediately
Jackson will be able to start work immediately, as aside from occasional emergency appeals, the court will have just wrapped up most of its business through the fall. That will give her time to settle in and become acquainted with the about twenty cases that the court has already agreed to hear beginning in October as well as the hundreds of appeals that will accumulate over the summer.
The court released its final opinions earlier on Thursday following a contentious and historic term that includes overturning Roe v. Wade’s protection of the right to an abortion. A ruling from Thursday dealt a setback to efforts to combat climate change by restricting how the Environmental Protection Agency can utilize the country’s primary anti-air pollution statute to lower carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. (https://emdrprofessionaltraining.com)
