One issue in the case is how far wetlands can be from a larger body of water and still be subject to regulation. They asked questions that were more skeptical of the regulation in a case that tests the reach of the law beyond rivers, lakes and streams. If Jackson was eager to show she was ready to participate, several conservative justices also provided a quick reminder of the balance of power on a court where they hold a 6-3 majority.

Jackson, the court’s first Black female justice, seemed to be generally aligned with the court’s other liberal justices in favor of Justice Department arguments to preserve the authority of the federal government to regulate wetlands under the Clean Water Act against a business-backed challenge. The new member of the court, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, wasted no time engaging, asking questions throughout nearly two hours of arguments in the dispute over the nation’s main anti-water pollution law, the Clean Water Act. The Supreme Court began its new term Monday with a new justice on the bench, the public back in the courtroom and a spirited debate in a case that pits environmental protections against property rights. In this image provided by the Supreme Court, members of the high court pose for a photo during Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s formal investiture ceremony on Sept.

New supreme court photo