Justice Jackson makes Supreme Court debut in brief ceremony
By MARK SHERMAN
WASHINGTON Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said Friday she has “a seat at the table now and I’m ready to work,” leaning into her history-making role as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court.
Jackson spoke at the Library of Congress several hours after she made her first appearance on the Supreme Court bench in a brief ceremony that was attended by President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses.
“People from all walks of life approach me with what I can only describe as a profound sense of pride and what feels to me like renewed ownership. I can see it in their eyes. I can hear it in their voices. They stare at me as if to say, ‘Look at what we’ve done,’” Jackson said in remarks that lasted 10 minutes and were frequently interrupted by applause from the invitation-only crowd. The video was livestreamed by the Library of Congress.
“They’re saying to me in essence, ‘You go, girl,”’ the 52-year-old justice said.
She said she hopes to be an inspiration to today’s children and pledged to work hard through inevitable ups and downs.
“I have a seat at the table now. I have a seat at the table now and I’m ready to work,” Jackson said.
Earlier, she was the center of attention at her ceremonial investiture at the Supreme Court, also open only to those with invitations.
Chief Justice John Roberts wished the 52-year-old Jackson a “long and happy career in our common calling,” the traditional welcome for a new justice.
She took her place at the far end of the bench to Roberts’ left, just next to Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
