Rachael Rollins was formerly sworn in as the 55th U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts on Friday, more than three months after she assumed the post.
While Rollins has been on the job since she took the oath of office during a private ceremony in January, Friday's ceremony inside the Boston federal courthouse marked her official swearing-in ceremony.
Rollins was flanked by her daughter and nieces on Friday as US First Circuit Court of Appeals Justice O. Rogeriee Thompson administered the oath before a large courtroom crowd that included well-known dignitaries like Ayanna Pressley, Michelle Wu, Kim Janey, and William Gross, the Boston Globe reported.
When speaking to the crowd Friday, Rollins admitted it was odd to be having her official swearing-in ceremony several months after she took office and said that she feels a sense of urgency in her work, the Globe reported.
Rollins also announced that she is creating a new unit in the US attorney’s office that will “embody equity” and target human trafficking, civil rights violations, hate crimes, and police use of excessive force, according to the Globe.
The 51-year-old is a former assistant U.S. attorney in Massachusetts and was elected in 2018 as the first woman of color to serve as Suffolk County district attorney.
Boston's former top prosecutor is the first Black woman to serve as the top federal prosecutor in the state. Rollins was narrowly confirmed by the U.S. Senate in December, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the deciding vote.
