Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is poised to become the first Black female justice and the 104th Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court after being sworn in on Thursday, minutes after her mentor and soon-to-be predecessor Justice Stephen Breyer retires.
The 51-year-old was chosen for the court by United States President Joe Biden after Breyes announced this year that he plans to retire from the Supreme Court. Jackson was confirmed on Apr. 7 but has been waiting for her mentor to finish out the last term of his four-decade judicial career.
Ketanji Brown Jackson's Oaths
Breyer's work on the Supreme Court will end with the release of the term's remaining opinions and possibly with the announcement of some new cases accepted for the next term. Then, Jackson will be sworn in at a private ceremony at the Supreme Court, an event that will be live-streamed on some websites, including on the homepage of the Washington Post.
Breyer and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. will be responsible for administering the oaths Jackson must take. On Wednesday, Breyer sent a letter to President Biden that said he planned to end his service on the high court at noon, as per the Washington Post.
In his letter, Breyer, who hired Jackson as a clerk for the 1999 to 2000 term, said that Biden nominated and the U.S. Senate has confirmed the Honorable Kentaji Brown Jackson to succeed him in the office. He said that he understood that his successor was prepared to take the prescribed oaths to begin her service as the 116th member of the court.
The justice added that it has been his great honor to participate as a judge in the effort to maintain the United States Constitution and the Rule of Law. Jackson's appointment to the Supreme Court is a historic moment and her elevation from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit will mean that the Supreme Court will, for the first time, have four female justices among its nine members.
According to ABC News, Breyer has been facing unprecedented public pressure from progressive activists urging him to retire. He was nominated by former President Bill Clinton in 1994 and first appointed to the federal bench in 1980 by former President Jimmy Carter.
Stephen Breyer's Retirement
Breyer last year authored major opinions upholding the Affordable Care Act, affirming free speech rights of students off-campus, and resolving a multi-billion dollar copyright dispute between two titans of American technology, Google, and Oracle.
His retirement, which is at the early stages of the Biden presidency, comes as Democrats retain a razor-thin majority in the U.S. Senate, helping to ensure that his seat would be filled with someone who shares his judicial philosophy.
After Jackson's confirmation in April, she noted that in her family, "it took just one generation to go from segregation to the Supreme Court of the United States." She added that her confirmation was "an honor of a lifetime," and said she was grateful to have the chance to join the court to promote the rule of law at the highest level, CNN reported.
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