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U.S. NEWS Saturday 1 OctOber 2022

Justice Jackson makes Supreme Court debut in brief ceremony

By MARK SHERMAN Thursday by the House
Associated Press committee investigating
WASHINGTON (AP) — Jus- the Jan. 6 insurrection.
tice Ketanji Brown Jackson Jackson was confirmed in
made her first appearance April on a 53-47 vote in the
on the Supreme Court Senate, with three Repub-
bench in a brief courtroom lican senators joining all
ceremony Friday, three Democrats to support her.
days before the start of the Biden had pledged during
high court's new term. his presidential campaign
President Joe Biden, Vice that he would nominate
President Kamala Harris a Black woman to the Su-
and their spouses attended preme Court.
the invitation-only ceremo- Biden, Harris, first lady Jill
nial investiture for Jackson, Biden and second gentle-
the first Black woman on man Doug Emhoff spent a
the Supreme Court. few minutes with the jus-
Chief Justice John Rob- tices before the court con-
erts wished the 52-year-old vened, court spokeswom-
Jackson a "long and hap- an Patricia McCabe said.
py career in our common The president said noth- Ketanji Brown Jackson speaks during an event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington,
calling," the traditional wel- ing during the five-minute, April 8, 2022, celebrating the confirmation of Jackson as the first Black woman to reach the
come for a new justice. tightly scripted courtroom Supreme Court.
She took her place at the ceremony. Associated Press
far end of the bench to Back at the White House, Trump eventually chose first of his three Supreme Scalia's seat.q
Roberts' left, just next to Biden tweeted in praise Justice Neil Gorsuch, the Court appointees, to fill
Justice Brett Kavanaugh. of Jackson's "brilliant legal
The justices are seated by mind" and touted his re-
seniority. cord on filling judgeships.
During the ceremony Jack- "In fact, we've appointed
son also followed the cus- 84 federal judges so far. No
tom of every other new jus- group of that many judges
tice since 1972 and sat in a has been appointed as
chair that once belonged quickly, or been that di-
to John Marshall, who verse," Biden said.
served as chief justice for Jackson and Roberts
34 years in the early 1800s. walked down the 36 front
Marshall also was a slave- steps of the court for pho-
holder, perhaps adding a tos following the ceremo-
special poignancy to Jack- ny. They chatted briefly on
son taking her place in his the court plaza, and when
onetime possession. She is Roberts departed, the jus-
only the third Black justice tice's husband, Dr. Patrick
in the court's history, along Jackson, joined her.
with her new colleague "I'm so proud of you," Dr.
Justice Clarence Thomas Jackson said, as they em-
and the late Justice Thur- braced in front of a gath-
good Marshall. ering of reporters and well-
Friday's ceremony includ- wishers.
ed the reading of the com- Jackson is the first justice
mission appointing Jackson appointed by a Democrat-
to the court. She also re- ic president since Justice
peated the oath she took Elena Kagan joined the
when she formally joined court in 2010.
the court in June, just after Kagan was appointed by
the retirement of Justice former President Barack
Stephen Breyer. Obama, who also appoint-
Breyer was among a court- ed Justice Sonia Sotomay-
room filled with dignitaries, or in 2009.
including House Speaker It appeared Obama would
Nancy Pelosi and former get a third high court pick
Speaker Paul Ryan, a Jack- when Justice Antonin Sca-
son relative through mar- lia died in February 2016.
riage. But Senate Republicans re-
Jackson's parents, daugh- fused to take up Obama's
ters, brother and in-laws nomination of Merrick Gar-
had a front-row seat. land, then serving as a fed-
Several wives of current eral appeals court judge.
and former justices also at- Garland, now Attorney
tended, including Virginia General, also participated
"Ginni" Thomas. in Friday's ceremony.
Thomas was interviewed Former President Donald