On Thursday, June 30, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in as the newest member of the Supreme Court. She made history, becoming the first Black woman to serve on the court.
She was selected to replace Justice Stephen Breyer, who officially retired on Thursday, fulfilling a promise by President Biden to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court.
Justice Jackson joins the Supreme Court amidst a time of heightened scrutiny, due to recent decisions regarding abortion, 2nd Amendment rights, and the environment.
“I am standing on the shoulders of my own role models," she said during an event, after she vowed to be fair and impartial in her rulings during her confirmation hearings in April. In her confirmation hearings, Jackson cited Constance Baker Motley, the first African American female federal judge, and Justice Breyer, whom she clerked for and has replaced, as her role models.
Supreme Court Releases Crucial Decisions
On Thursday, the Court also released decisions to two significant cases regarding the environment and immigration.
The Court barred the Environmental Protection Agency from broadly regulating carbon emissions from existing power plants, dealing a major loss to the Biden administration’s efforts to cut emissions. Additionally, the ruling has cut the federal government’s authority to regulate many areas of climate policy.
The Supreme Court also ruled on Thursday that President Biden will be allowed to end Trump’s controversial “Remain in Mexico” immigration policy, which sends certain non-Mexican citizens who entered the U.S. back to Mexico during their immigration proceedings, rather than detaining them or releasing them in the U.S.
While Thursday also marked the end of the Supreme Court’s current term, Jackson will take her seat on the court for the first time in three months when the next term starts.