Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has sat on the Supreme Court for a little more than two months.
She's dominated oral arguments and attracted attention from the left and right.
"We haven't really seen somebody who, out of the gates, is this engaged," one scholar said.
On the first day of the Supreme Court term, an attorney was delivering his closing arguments when Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson chimed in.
"Counsel, can you just speak to the representation that was made about the Sacketts' property," Jackson started to ask during a high-stakes environmental case heard on October 3.
The court has, in recent practice, typically reserved time for lawyers to offer their final word without interruption. But the newest justice appeared unaware of that rule, following up with four more questions. The back-and-forth came to an end once Chief Justice John Roberts interjected.
"We'll give you an extra minute for your rebuttal," he told the attorney.
The scene represented a learning moment for Jackson on her first day on the bench. But it also revealed how Jackson was diving into her new job quickly and comfortably – a rhythm she's kept up over the past couple of months.
In the short time since her debut, Jackson has dominated oral arguments, become the focus of numerous media columns, issued her first two dissents, and received praise from the left and criticism from the right. Court watchers say it's rare for a newcomer to be this vocal and attract such attention at the beginning of their tenure.
Whether Jackson's presence will change the court and its decision-making remains to be seen. But in the meantime, Jackson, who broke barriers as the first Black woman on the court, seems to be breaking new ground.
"It's unique. We haven't really seen somebody who, out of the gates, is this engaged," Adam Feldman, a Supreme Court scholar and author of the blog Empirical SCOTUS told Insider
.