WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson mentioned Friday she has “a seat on the desk now and I’m able to work,” leaning into her history-making position as the primary Black lady on the Supreme Courtroom.
Jackson spoke on the Library of Congress a number of hours after she made her first look on the Supreme Courtroom bench in a quick ceremony that was attended by President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses.
“Folks from all walks of life strategy me with what I can solely describe as a profound sense of delight and what feels to me like renewed possession. I can see it of their eyes. I can hear it of their voices. They stare at me as if to say, ‘Have a look at what we’ve finished,’” Jackson mentioned in remarks that lasted 10 minutes and had been regularly interrupted by applause from the invitation-only crowd. The video was livestreamed by the Library of Congress.
“They’re saying to me in essence, ‘You go, lady,”’ the 52-year-old justice mentioned.
She mentioned she hopes to be an inspiration to as we speak’s youngsters and pledged to work laborious by inevitable ups and downs.
“I’ve a seat on the desk now. I’ve a seat on the desk now and I’m able to work,” Jackson mentioned.
Earlier, she was the focal point at her ceremonial investiture on the Supreme Courtroom, additionally open solely to these with invites.
Chief Justice John Roberts wished the 52-year-old Jackson a “lengthy and blissful profession in our frequent 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.
Throughout 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 court docket’s historical past, alongside together 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 court docket. She additionally repeated the oath she took when she formally joined the court docket in June, simply after the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer.
Breyer was amongst a courtroom stuffed with dignitaries, together with Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Speaker Paul Ryan, a Jackson relative by marriage. Jackson’s dad and mom, daughters, brother and in-laws had front-row seats.
A number of wives of present and former justices additionally attended, together with Virginia “Ginni” Thomas. Thomas, a conservative activist, was interviewed Thursday by the Home committee investigating the Jan. 6 rebel and stood by the false declare that the 2020 election was fraudulent.
Jackson was confirmed in April on a 53-47 vote within the Senate, with three Republican senators becoming a member of all Democrats to assist her.
Biden had pledged throughout his presidential marketing campaign that he would nominate a Black lady to the Supreme Courtroom.
Biden, Harris, first girl Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff spent a couple of minutes with the justices earlier than the court docket convened, court docket spokeswoman Patricia McCabe mentioned.
The president mentioned nothing throughout the five-minute, tightly scripted courtroom ceremony.
Again on the White Home, Biden tweeted in reward of Jackson’s “good authorized thoughts” and touted his report on filling judgeships.
“In truth, we’ve appointed 84 federal judges to date. No group of that many judges has been appointed as rapidly, or been that numerous,” Biden mentioned.
Jackson and Roberts walked down the 36 entrance steps of the court docket for images following the ceremony. They chatted briefly on the court docket plaza, and when Roberts departed, the justice’s husband, Dr. Patrick Jackson, joined her.
“I’m so happy with you,” Dr. Jackson mentioned, 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 court docket 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 court docket choose when Justice Antonin Scalia died in February 2016. However Senate Republicans refused to take up Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland, then serving as a federal appeals court docket choose. Garland, now Lawyer Basic, additionally participated in Friday’s ceremony.
Former President Donald Trump finally selected Justice Neil Gorsuch, the primary of his three Supreme Courtroom appointees, to fill Scalia’s seat.
Related Press author Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.