Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is sworn into the US Supreme Court
(Picture: REUTERS)Ketanji Brown Jackson has made history after being sworn in as the first black woman on the US Supreme Court, just six days after it controversially voted to restrict abortion rights.
Justice Jackson, 51, has become part of the liberal bloc of the conservative-dominated court, and was Joe Biden’s pick to replace retiring justice Stephen Breyer.
Her two daughters and husband attended the ceremony on Thursday afternoon.
As part of the administration of the oath required by the constitution and judiciary acts, she solomnly swore to “do equal right to the poor and to the rich” and to “faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as an associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the US”.
Her swearing in comes after a poll found that a majority of Americans, 57 per cent, hold a negative view of the court in the wake of its decision to overturn Roe v Wade, which gave a federal constitutional right to an abortion in the US.
She has become the sixth woman and third black person to serve on the Supreme Court since its 1789 founding.
Her swearing in marks the first time that four women have served on the Supreme Court at one time.
“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,” Justice Jackson said at an April 8 event celebrating her confirmation.
“But we've made it - we've made it - all of us, all of us."
Mr Biden appointed Justice Jackson last year to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit after she spent eight years as a federal district judge.
Mr Biden has aimed to bring more women and minorities and a wider range of backgrounds to the federal judiciary.
Justice Jackson’s appointment fulfilled a pledge Biden made during the 2020 presidential campaign to name a Black woman to the Supreme Court. With Jackson’s addition, the Supreme Court for the first time has four women on the bench.
Her appointment will not shift the ideological balance of the court, as the three justices appointed by Donald Trump means the court will have a conservative bent for years to come.
The Senate confirmed Jackson on a 53-47 vote on April 7, with three Republicans joining the Democrats in support of her appointment.
With her addition, the Supreme Court for the first time also will have four women on the bench.
Justice Breyer announced his plans to retire in January, having served since being appointed by Bill Clinton in 1994.
Jackson will participate in arguments in cases for the first time when the court’s next term opens in October.
