Elena Kagan was sworn in Saturday as the 112th justice and fourth woman ever to serve on the Supreme Court.
Kagan is also the third sitting justice who is Jewish, a historic first.Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath to Kagan in a brief private ceremony at the court. Kagan, joined by family and friends, pledged to faithfully and impartially uphold the law.
Afterward, she smiled broadly as a crowd of onlookers stood and applauded. "We look forward to serving with you," Roberts said.
Kagan, a former Harvard Law School dean who most recently was solicitor general, was President Barack Obama's choice to succeed retired Justice John Paul Stevens. Republicans criticized her as a political liberal before the Senate confirmed her this past week on a vote of 63-37.
