US Supreme Court welcomes first African-American female justice
Xinhua News Agency, Washington, June 30 (Reporter Sun Ding) Ketangi Brown Jackson was sworn in as a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 30, becoming the first African-American woman to serve as a Supreme Court justice in U.S. history.
The Supreme Court broadcasted Jackson's swearing-in ceremony live on its website, attended by Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Stephen Breyer, who officially retired that day, and Jackson's family.
In January, Breyer announced plans to retire in the summer.
In late February, Biden nominated Jackson to replace Breyer.
In April, the U.S. Senate voted to approve Jackson as a Supreme Court justice.
Jackson, 51, a graduate of Harvard Law School, will begin serving as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in June 2021.
The Supreme Court has nine justices, including a chief justice, nominated by the president, subject to approval by the Senate, and can serve for life after taking office.
After Jackson took office, the court continued to consist of six conservative justices and three liberal justices.
The Supreme Court is the final appellate court of the U.S. judicial system, with the power to review and overturn lower court decisions, and the final interpreter of the U.S. Constitution.
A week ago, the court overturned the case of Roe v. Wade, a precedent that established abortion rights at the federal level nearly half a century ago, and removed the constitutional protection of women's abortion rights, sparking widespread controversy.