Sharon L. Kennedy was sworn in as the 154th Ohio Supreme Court justice on December 7 at the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Justice Center. Justice Kennedy is only the ninth woman to serve on the state’s highest court.

View the complete swearing-in video.

“I promise to humbly serve each and every Ohioan with a full heart and a steady moral compass. The people of Ohio have bestowed upon me the greatest honor in my life by giving me the opportunity to serve this great state. I promise you, I will not let you down,” Justice Kennedy said.

Justice Kennedy took her oath of office in front of a packed courtroom and live television audience. Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton served as the keynote speaker during the ceremony.

Prior to becoming an Ohio Supreme Court Justice, Kennedy served on the Butler County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division since 1999. She served as the administrative judge there from 2005 through December 2012.

“Before our current justice none of us had domestic experience and that is something very, very valuable to bring,” Justice Stratton said, “because we do a lot of domestic cases and every time we do one I’m scared to death we are going to mess up the law somehow so having someone who’s been in the trenches for 14 years understanding it is invaluable.”

Before she was a judge, Justice Kennedy was a sole practitioner and was a part-time magistrate in the Butler County Area Courts. She began her career as a police officer in Hamilton, Ohio.

“Throughout my 27 years of service, it’s always been about serving the law. It’s been about honoring the constitution, honoring the people I served and ensuring that the next generation is afforded the same protection under the law that we enjoy,” Justice Kennedy said.

Justice Kennedy replaces former Justice Yvette McGee Brown, whom she defeated in the November 2012 election.