politicnewsbusterinsiderpostreview: KBJ is officially welcomed to the Supreme Court

September 30, 2022

I hope that you all are finding ways to stay safe and happy between the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian to the strange, disturbing spread of far-right extremism in countries like Italy. But for me, there was one ray of light that broke through this week: Ketanji Brown Jackson's official welcome to the Supreme Court. After enduring almost unending harassment and a barrage of offensive questions, Jackson has made it to the finish line.

Yup, KBJ is officially the first, Black female Supreme Court justice in America's history. In an untelevised investiture ceremony Friday morning, the Supreme Court formally welcomed Jackson into its cohort. While she was officially sworn in as a justice in June, the investiture ceremony is what officially seals the deal as the Supreme Court heads into its new term in October.

Jackson will become another liberal addition to the court, which currently sits at a 6-3 conservative majority. The high court ended its last term on a particularly dark note, eradicating abortion rights and expanding gun rights in a country with chronic mass shootings. (Reporter Pema Levy breaks down the sheer havoc the court's conservative majority has wreaked on the U.S. in her piece, The Supreme Court Is Waging a Full-Scale War on Modern Life. I highly recommend giving her story a read when you get a chance.)

Sure, KBJ's induction won't automatically fix the problems on the Supreme Court; that's a lot of weight to put on one woman's shoulders. But hopefully, it could be one more thing to tip the scale back in the favor of social progress.

—Arianna Coghill