On Monday, October 3, the U.S. Supreme Court began a new fiscal year with an unprecedented composition. Ketanji Brown Jackson, 51, who was sworn in as a Justice last June, becomes the first Black woman to serve as a Justice in the 232-year history of the Court.
Jackson, who was a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, was nominated by President Joe Biden as the 116th Justice and the sixth woman to serve on the nation’s highest court.
In nominating Jackson, President Biden stated, “For too long, our government, our courts have not looked like America. … I believe it is time to have a court that is a reflection of the talent and greatness of our nation with a nominee of extraordinary qualifications who inspires all young people to believe that one day they can serve their country at the highest level.”
Jackson’s rise to the Court also marks the first time in history that the majority of justices are not white men.
Even with a growing racial and gender diversity, Jackson joins a Court with three appointees from former President Donald Trump and a conservative supermajority that has the chance to aggressively rewrite federal and constitutional laws.
Jackson replaces Stephen Breyer, who was appointed by Bill Clinton and decided to retire after 28 years serving on the Court. Jackson’s appointment is not expected to have an immediate impact on the ideological dominance of the right wing, with 6 justices following a more conservative ideological line and 3 justices being more liberal.