Justice Stephen Breyer retires, Ketanji Brown Jackson sworn in as Supreme Court Justice

Written by Eric Revell, Countable News

What’s the story?

• Justice Stephen Breyer officially retired from the Supreme Court on Thursday after the Court released its final opinions of the term, and Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in as his successor in a ceremony at the Court. Jackson’s Constitutional Oath was administered by Chief Justice John Roberts and her Judicial Oath was administered by Breyer, who she clerked for in 1999-2000.
• Jackson formally joining the Court makes her the first black woman to become a justice of the Supreme Court. She is the third black justice, following Justice Thurgood Marshall and Justice Clarence Thomas, who is currently on the bench. Jackson is also the second mother of school age children to serve on the Court, following Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who was the most recently confirmed justice prior to Jackson.
• Breyer’s retirement comes after he served for 28 years on the Court after his confirmation in 1994. His last majority opinion was released Wednesday in a case known as Torres v. Texas, and another recent opinion of his was the unanimous decision in Shurtleff v. Boston, which was released in early May. 
• Breyer’s retirement letter concluded, “It has been my great honor to participate as a judge in the effort to maintain our Constitution and the Rule of Law.”  

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(Photo Credit: Justice Breyer: Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States / Public Domain | Judge Jackson: H2rty via Wikimedia / Creative Commons | Supreme Court: Kurt Kaiser via Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons)