WASHINGTON: U.S. Vice President Joe Biden took the oath of office for his second term on Sunday at a small ceremony at his official residence, using a bible with a Celtic cross on the cover that has been in his family since 1893.
Biden chose Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to swear him in, making her the first Hispanic judge to ever administer an oath of office for one of the nation's two highest offices. Biden's family, about 120 guests and a few reporters witnessed the private ceremony.
The U.S. Constitution requires the president and vice president to be sworn in on January 20. President Barack Obama is slated to take his oath at a small ceremony at the White House at 11:55 a.m. EST (1655 GMT).
Obama and Biden will repeat their oaths on Monday during a public ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. The ceremony will be followed by Obama's inaugural address and the inaugural parade down Pennsylvania Avenue, from the Capitol to the White House.