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WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — Former D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was formally sworn in Thursday as the newest Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, officially replacing retiring left-wing Justice Stephen Breyer.
“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,” Jackson said, the Associated Press reported. “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’s “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, and for all of us as Americans,” declared President Joe Biden, who nominated her in February. The Senate confirmed her in April on a 53-47 vote.
Much has been made by the White House and the press of the “historic” nature of Jackson’s confirmation as the first black woman to join the nation’s highest court (there have been multiple black and multiple female justices before). Biden expressly selected her based partly on her race and sex. In doing so, conservatives argue the president placed identity politics above legal qualifications.
“Jackson is not highly regarded as a judge” and “has a striking record of reversals by the D.C. Circuit — including by liberal judges — in her high-profile rulings” for getting things “very wrong,” wrote Ed Whelan of the Ethics & Public Policy Center. “Inquiries I have made recently of folks knowledgeable about her work confirm that she continues to have a middling reputation. This criticism, I’ll emphasize, is on grounds of quality, not ideology. Indeed, she is not regarded as ranking high among the 10 or so district judges that President Obama appointed to the federal district bench in D.C.”
During her confirmation hearings, Jackson drew conservative criticism for her her light sentencing in child pornography cases, refusal to state when human life begins, false claim that science has “no simple answer” to what women are, and noncommittal answer on whether individuals possess natural rights.
Regardless, the 51-year-old Jackson’s replacement of 83-year-old Breyer ensures that, while the ideological balance of the current court has not changed, the seat will most likely remain a reliable left-wing vote for decades.