Back in June, Ketanji Brown Jackson made history when she became the first Black woman sworn in as a justice in the United States Supreme Court. At the time, Jackson took two oaths; A constitutional oath, administered by Chief Justice John Roberts, and a judicial oath, administered by Justice Stephen Breyer.
Her ceremony was postponed until Breyer’s retirement.
On Friday, Jackson was officially sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice. President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris were both present for her investiture.
When speaking to reporters, Jackson was filled with emotion.
“I can see it in their eyes, I can hear it in their voices,” Jackson said, later during an event at the Library of Congress, per The Washington Post. “They say this: ‘This is what we can accomplish if we put our minds to it.’ They’re saying to me, in essence you, ‘You go girl.’ They’re saying, ‘invisible no more. We see you, and we are with you.’ I have a seat at the table now. I have a seat at the table now, and I’m ready to work,” she shared to a standing ovation.
Jackson, a Harvard graduate, currently serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Washington circuit. During her time at Harvard, she led protests against a student who draped a Confederate flag from his dorm window and once served as the Harvard Law Review editor.
Senators voted 53-47 on Jackson’s confirmation, with Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney being the only Republicans voting to confirm her. However, Jackson’s replacement of her longtime mentor Breyer will not change the court’s 6-to-3 conservative majority.
