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Mark Sharman
Washington — Ketangi Brown Jackson Thursday Sweared to the Supreme Court and shattered the glass ceiling as the first black woman in the US Supreme Court.
51-year-old Jackson was the 116th justice in court, and she replaced the justice she once worked for. Judge Stephen Breyer's retirement came into effect at noon.
After a while, Jackson joined her family and made two oaths required of a Supreme Court judge. One was managed by Breyer and the other by Judge John Roberts.
"I sincerely accept the solemn responsibility of upholding and upholding the US Constitution and enforcing justice without fear or favor. Help God," Jackson said in court. Said in a statement. .. "I am truly grateful to be part of the promise of our great country. I am deeply grateful to the warm and kind welcome of my new colleagues."
Roberts welcomed Jackson "to our common calling with the court." The ceremony was livestreamed on the court's website.
As a federal judge since 2013, Jackson has joined three women: Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Amy Coney Barrett. This is the first time four women have served together in nine courts.
Biden nominated Jackson in February, a month after the 83-year-old Breyer announced that he would retire at the end of his court term, assuming his successor was confirmed. Breyer's earlier-than-usual announcement and his terms were a recognition of the Democratic Party's weak support for the Senate, especially in the bipartisan era surrounding federal judges.
The Senate confirmed Jackson's nomination in early April, mostly by a party vote, including support from three Republicans.
Jackson remained a judge in the Federal Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., but was subject to a sort of judicial review because he did not hear the case. Biden promoted her to that court from a district trial appointed by President Barack Obama.
Glynda Carr, president of Higher Heights for America, an organization advocating the growth of black women's political power, said Jackson's oath was bittersweet.
"Celebrating her today, but one black woman or cohort of black women cannot save this democracy alone. We are part of it and in our role. She has a job, and she intends to reshape and shape the court forever, but she's only part of the job she needs to move forward, "said Kerr.
With Jackson's appointment, Washington's black lawyer Judith Browne Dianis said he intends to end the protest against joining the Supreme Court. She started it in 1991 when Judge Clarence Thomas was confirmed. She said that even a series of conservative decisions from the court last week could not remove the importance of Thursday's ceremony.
"This is a significant opportunity and still a beautiful moment," said Dianis, Managing Director of the Civil Rights Organization Advancement Project.
But Mr. Dianis said, "She is in court when she sees conservatives making progress in our country and is actually trying to get us back. It's like a never-ending Civil War. That's the court she's in. "
Jackson can start working right away, but the court Has just finished most of its work until the fall, with the exception of the occasional emergency appeal. It will give her time to calm down and get used to the approximately 20 cases that the court has already agreed to hear from October and the hundreds of appeals that pile up in the summer.
The court issued its final opinion early Thursday after a serious and violent term, including overturning the guarantee of the right to abortion in the Roe v. Wade case. One of Thursday's decisions restricted how the Environmental Protection Agency used the country's major Air Pollution Control Act to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. This will hurt the fight against climate change.
New York Associated Press author Aaron Morrison contributed to this report.
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