Ketanji Brown Jackson Sworn In As First Black Woman Supreme Court Justice

Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in as the first black woman Supreme Court justice on Thursday afternoon minutes after Justice Stephen Breyer‘s retirement became official at the end of the court’s term.

“It is an honor of a lifetime to have this chance to join the court, to promote the rule of law at the highest level, and to do my part to carry out shared project of democracy and equal justice under law forward, into the future,” Jackson said.

Chief Justice John Roberts and Breyer lead Jackson in the constitutional and judicial oaths and finally welcomed her to the nation’s highest court.

Jackson is President Joe Biden‘s lone nomination to the Supreme Court. Her confirmation marked the first time a federal public defender has been seated on the court. Her swearing in will not change the ideological balance of the court, where conservatives have a clear 6-3 majority. Jackson is fundamentally more left-leaning than President Bill Clinton nominated Breyer, who sat on the court for nearly 28 years.

Jackson will take her seat when the next term begins in October.