This little bit of good news has been buried under a whole lot of bad news. But let’s all just stop for a moment and celebrate a huge win for America, Black people everywhere, and, really, the US as a whole. Ketanji Brown Jackson is officially sworn in as the 116th Supreme Court justice and the first Black woman to serve on the high court.
“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,” Jackson said in a statement after the ceremony that took place on Thursday, June 30th.
President Joe Biden also made a statement saying he was honored to see his nominee officially take her seat. He declared, “Her historic swearing-in today represents a profound step forward for our nation, for all the young, Black girls who now see themselves reflected on our highest court.” While on the 2020 campaign election trail, Biden pledged he would nominate a Black woman to be a Supreme Court justice. And while we’ve seen Reproductive rights stripped from women in the same week, we are certainly celebrating this step forward.
Jackson, was nominated last February by President Joe Biden to replace Breyer and was confirmed by the Senate on a 53-47 vote in April. She begins her new role in the aftermath of a shitstorm of fucked up racist and misogynistic decisions issued by the Supreme court, including a ruling that takes away federal abortion rights, another that struck down a New York law that limited carrying firearms outside the home, and one that limits the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate carbon emissions from power plants and save the earth from human destruction.
While Jackson’s placement on the Supreme Court won’t correct the imbalance on the Supreme Court as Justices appointed by Republican presidents still outnumber their Democrat-appointed colleagues by a 6-3 margin, it’s a step in the right direction!
