No one is confirming anything, but close observers of Kamala Harris agree that she is very likely to ask Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to administer the oath of office when she becomes vice president Jan. 20.
The same sources, who requested anonymity, agree that there is history and drama in Sotomayor, the first Latina justice of the high court, swearing in Harris, who will become the first woman of color to serve as vice president.
Harris herself is known to strongly admire Sotomayor. Writing on Twitter in 2019, the tenth anniversary of the justice’s appointment by Barack Obama, California Sen. Harris noted that “Sonia Sotomayor has fought for the voices of the people ever since her first case voting against corporations in Citizens United. As a critical voice on the bench, she’s showing all our children what’s possible.”
The Chief Justice of the United States has historically administered the oath of office to the president and Chief Justice John Roberts is considered a certainty to swear in Joe Biden.
But the vice president can be sworn in by just about anyone. In recent years, vice presidents have used their inauguration to make historical statements.
In 1989, Vice President Dan Quayle’s choice of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to swear him in meant the first time a woman would participate in the oath-taking ceremony.
Four years ago, Mike Pence’s choice of Justice Clarence Thomas meant that a black American would administer the oath of office at the inaugural ceremony for the first time.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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