Ketanji Brown Jackson Sworn In As First Black Woman Of U.S. Supreme Court

The appointment follows one of the most consequential Supreme Court terms in recent memory, with significant rulings on abortion and gun rights.

She said in a statement that she accepts “the solemn responsibility” of the role.

The former public defender joins the court at a tumultuous period in its history. The nine-member court is currently split between six Republican-appointed justices and three picked by Democrats.

The lifetime appointment will likely see Ms. Jackson on the bench for decades but will not shift the current ideological balance of the court.

The addition of Ms. Jackson to the court means that its liberal minority—with Justice Elena Kagan and Justice Sonia Sotomayor—will be made up entirely of women.

Mr. Breyer congratulated his successor on Thursday, saying, “Her hard work, integrity, and intelligence have earned her a place on this court.” “I am glad for my fellow justices. They gain a colleague who is empathetic, thoughtful, and collegial,” he said.

US President Joe Biden, a Democrat, announced her nomination in February. In April, three Republicans crossed the aisle to seal her appointment in the US Senate.

Ms. Jackson, a Washington DC native, previously sat on the DC circuit’s influential US Court of Appeals.

She has two degrees from Harvard University and once served as editor of the Harvard Law Review. She worked as a public defender in Washington before joining a private practice before her judicial appointments.

ALSO READ: Meet The Three Nigerian Women Running For The Position Of A Judge In America