Jackson joins the court at a time of declining public support for the court. Jackson’s husband, Patrick, and her parents were in the audience Monday, as were the parents of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and his wife, Ashley. Jackson, for her part, has been waiting for months to fully begin her new role since being confirmed in April and sworn in when Justice Stephen Breyer retired in June.
Chief Justice John Roberts ordered an investigation, but the court has yet to provide an update. Several cases the court has agreed to hear involve race or elections or both, and the court has also agreed to hear a dispute that returns the issue of free speech and LGBTQ rights to the court.Īlso hanging over the justices is some unfinished business from last term: the leak of a draft of the abortion decision seven weeks before it was formally announced. A new stack of high-profile cases awaits the justices in the upcoming term.