REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, WASHINGTON - US 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. President Barack Obama is slated to take his oath at a small ceremony at the White House at 11:55 am EST (1655 GMT).
The US Constitution requires the president and vice president to be sworn in on January 20. 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.
Obama and Biden will repeat their oaths on Monday during a public ceremony at the US 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.
On the cusp of his second term, Obama solemnly honored the nation's fallen soldiers Sunday before taking the oath of office in an intimate White House ceremony, a swearing-in ritual he will repeat 24 hours later before a massive crowd at the Capitol. Obama and Biden jointly placed a large wreath, adorned with red, white and blue ribbon, in front of Arlington's Tomb of the Unknowns. Placing their hands over their hearts, the two leaders stood solemnly as a bugle played "Taps."
From there, Obama joined his family at a church service in downtown Washington celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. The president's public swearing-in on Monday coincides with the national holiday marking the fallen civil rights leader's birthday, and Obama has invoked King's memory throughout the lead-up to the inauguration.
Sunday's centerpiece would be Obama's late morning swearing-in for a second term in office. Only a small group of family members was expected to attend Obama's Sunday swearing-in, including first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha. A few reporters would also be on hand to witness the event.
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