Sonia Sotomayor Sworn In As 111th Supreme Court Justice (VIDEO)
Sonia Sotomayor, with her left hand on the Bible, took an oath Saturday to “administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich,” and thus became the 111th Supreme Court justice in the nation’s history.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. administered a pair of oaths, both of which are required for federal judges, in a ceremonial conference room at the Supreme Court before a small gathering of Sotomayor’s family and friends, and a handful of White House aides who had worked on her confirmation.
The court permitted the second oath to be broadcast on television, marking the first live coverage of such a ceremony in the institution’s history.
Immediately upon repeating the words from the Chief Justice, she gave a hug to her mother, Celina Sotomayor, who was holding the Bible, and one to her brother, Juan, who stood at her side. Roberts said, “Congratulations and welcome to the court.”
The two-part ceremony began in the justices’ conference room near the rear of the court building on Capitol Hill, where Roberts administered privately the Constitutional Oath, which dates back to the 1860s. After, they walked to the court’s paneled East Conference Room, where Sotomayor then took a Judicial Oath before approximately six relatives and friends, standing beneath a portrait of the 19th-century chief justice, John Marshall.
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy also attended the ceremony, as did two members of the White House counsel’s office–who had helped select Sotomayor and shepherd her through the confirmation process. Sotomayor invited friends, including Robert Katzmann, who served with her on the U.S. Second Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, and Representative Nydia Velasquez (D-N.Y.)
Sotomayor is not finished with ceremonial welcomes, however. She is due to be introduced at White House reception Wednesday, and the Supreme Court will hold a formal investiture ceremony for her on Sept. 8.
Related posts:
- Obama nominates Sonia Sotomayor for Supreme Court
- Senate Confirms Sotomayor To Supreme Court In 68-31 Vote
- Sonia Sotomayor: Measured by the Word of God and Found Wanting
- Judge Sonia Sotomayor: Court is Where Policy is Made
- Appeals Court Upholds “So Help Me God”
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