Lawmakers and celebrities alike are reacting to the historic swearing-in ofKetanji Brown Jackson, who on Thursday became the 116th associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States and the first Black female justice to sit on the court.
Taking to Twitter, actress Kerry Washington called Jackson’s confirmation to the court “the news we needed this week,” adding that she was “grateful” for the new justice.
LeVar Burton echoed the sentiment,writing, “At last, a jurist on the SCOTUS worthy of the legacy of, Justice Thurgood Marshall!”
Ketanji Brown Jackson is sworn into the Supreme Court.Supreme Court via AP
Valerie Jarrett, who worked as senior advisor to PresidentBarack Obama, said Jackson’s ceremony came “at a time of great anxiety and pain in our country,” a reference to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling overturning the landmark abortion-rights caseRoe v. Wade.
In a tweet, Jarrett added, “today is an extraordinary moment where Justice#KetanjiBrownJackson’s swearing in shines a bright light of hope for the future.
NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnsonalso lauded Jackson, writing in a tweet: “Not only do we finally have a Black woman on the Supreme Court, but a highly qualified professional who will represent Black women, and all Americans, well.”
In her tweet to mark the historic occasion, Democrat Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote that she was “thrilled to see Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson sworn in today as the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court!”
“As a former public defender, she’ll bring an invaluable perspective to the bench. I also want to thank Justice Breyer for his extraordinarypublic service,” she added.
In his own statement, Breyer extended his congratulations to his replacement.
With Jackson’s appointment, Biden, 79, kept his 2020 campaign promise to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court.
In a statement distributed following her swearing-in, Jackson offered her thanks to her new colleagues for their welcome.
“With a full heart, I accept the solemn responsibility of supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States and administering justice without fear or favor, so help me God,” she said in her statement. “I am truly grateful to be part of the promise of our great nation. I extend my sincerest thanks to all of my new colleagues for their warm and gracious welcome.”
source: people.com
