Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Begins New Term

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Echo Staff

On Friday, September 30, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson (the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court) took part in an “investiture ceremony,” officially welcoming her to the high court. This was a largely ceremonial event, as she was officially sworn in as the 116th justice at the end of June.

The Supreme Court convened for the start of its new term Monday (10/04), and the arrival of Justice Jackson marks the first time four women have served together on the Supreme Court. It also marks the first time women and people of color outnumber white men.

There has been a lot of speculation surrounding how Justice Jackson might influence the court, which is currently in firm control of conservative justices. Since she was nominated by President Biden as a replacement for Justice Stephen Breyer, many people believe she will be in dissent of the conservatives, much like Justice Breyer was.

After just two days, Bloomberg News reported that “…four arguments into her new job, the court’s first Black female justice has emerged as an active, forceful questioner, willing to directly lay out her views and even take on her more conservative colleagues. She spoke more than any other justice in her first two days on the bench.” As the Associated Press pointed out, “For now, Jackson’s approach seems less like Justice Clarence Thomas, who once went 10 years without asking a question, and more like Justice Neil Gorsuch, who in his first year was one of the more active questioners.”

Click on the video below to hear an excerpt from Justice Jackson’s first days on the Court.