WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson made her first look on the Supreme Court bench in a quick courtroom ceremony Friday, three days earlier than the beginning of the excessive courtroom’s new time period.
President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses attended the invitation-only ceremonial investiture for Jackson, the primary Black girl on the Supreme Court.
Chief Justice John Roberts wished the 52-year-old Jackson a “long and happy career in our common calling,” the normal welcome for a brand new justice.
She took her place on the far finish of the bench to Roberts’ left, simply subsequent to Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The justices are seated by seniority.
During the ceremony Jackson additionally adopted the customized of each different new justice since 1972 and sat in a chair that after belonged to John Marshall, who served as chief justice for 34 years within the early 1800s.
Marshall additionally was a slaveholder, maybe including a particular poignancy to Jackson taking her place in his onetime possession. She is barely the third Black justice within the courtroom’s historical past, alongside along with her new colleague Justice Clarence Thomas and the late Justice Thurgood Marshall.
Friday’s ceremony included the studying of the fee appointing Jackson to the courtroom. She additionally repeated the oath she took when she formally joined the courtroom in June, simply after the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer.
Breyer was amongst a courtroom full of dignitaries, together with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Speaker Paul Ryan, a Jackson relative by way of marriage.
Jackson’s dad and mom, daughters, brother and in-laws had a front-row seat.
Several wives of present and former justices additionally attended, together with Virginia “Ginni” Thomas. Thomas was interviewed Thursday by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 revolt.
Jackson was confirmed in April on a 53-47 vote within the Senate, with three Republican senators becoming a member of all Democrats to help her.
Biden had pledged throughout his presidential marketing campaign that he would nominate a Black girl to the Supreme Court.
Biden, Harris, first girl Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff spent a couple of minutes with the justices earlier than the courtroom convened, courtroom spokeswoman Patricia McCabe stated.
The president stated nothing through the five-minute, tightly scripted courtroom ceremony.
Back on the White House, Biden tweeted in reward of Jackson’s “brilliant legal mind” and touted his file on filling judgeships.
“In fact, we’ve appointed 84 federal judges so far. No group of that many judges has been appointed as quickly, or been that diverse,” Biden stated.
Jackson and Roberts walked down the 36 entrance steps of the courtroom for pictures following the ceremony. They chatted briefly on the courtroom plaza, and when Roberts departed, the justice’s husband, Dr. Patrick Jackson, joined her.
“I’m so proud of you,” Dr. Jackson stated, as they embraced in entrance of a gathering of reporters and well-wishers.
Jackson is the primary justice appointed by a Democratic president since Justice Elena Kagan joined the courtroom in 2010. Kagan was appointed by former President Barack Obama, who additionally appointed Justice Sonia Sotomayor in 2009.
It appeared Obama would get a 3rd excessive courtroom choose when Justice Antonin Scalia died in February 2016. But Senate Republicans refused to take up Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland, then serving as a federal appeals courtroom decide. Garland, now Attorney General, additionally participated in Friday’s ceremony.
Former President Donald Trump finally selected Justice Neil Gorsuch, the primary of his three Supreme Court appointees, to fill Scalia’s seat.
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Associated Press author Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”