By Kevin Zhang
Justice Amy Coney Barrett recited the judicial oath Tuesday morning in a swearing-in ceremony administered by Chief Justice John Roberts, officially beginning her tenure as the 115th justice on the Supreme Court, and was requested to recuse herself from a key election-related case.
The ceremony took place in the East Conference Room of the court and Barrett was seen in a photo shared by the court with her left hand placed on a bible and her right hand held up in the air for the swearing of the oath.
All Supreme Court justices but Justice Stephen Breyer physically attended the ceremony, who listened by phone from his home in Cambridge due to travel and safety concerns of the coronavirus, according to the court’s public information officer Kathy Arberg. Barrett was confirmed by the Senate with a 52-48 vote on Monday.
At the White House Monday, Barrett said in a speech it was “a privilege to be asked to serve my country” and emphasized the “separation of duty from political preference.”
“My fellow Americans, even though we judges don’t face elections, we still work for you. It is your Constitution that establishes the rule of law and the judicial independence that is so central to it,” she said. “The oath that I have solemnly taken tonight means at its core that I will do my job without any fear or favor, and that I will do so independently of both the political branches and of my own preferences.”
The swearing-in of Justice Barrett comes just a week before election day, and is expected to influence the election in favor of President Trump. Her seat at the Supreme Court gives conservatives a 6-3 majority, and this is expected to influence a variety of future court decisions, potentially disputes regarding the election and the future of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
