According to The New York Times, President Obama was quietly sworn into office for a second term just before noon in a brief and intimate ceremony, ahead of Monday’s far showier public inaugural celebrations. Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. took the oath of office from Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Sunday morning. The ceremony, which lasted less than two minutes, satisfied the Constitutional requirement that the president’s swearing-in take place by noon on the Jan. 20 after an election. The oath was administered by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. in the White House Blue Room, an elegant, gilded space with a sweeping view of the South Lawn. After they finished, President Obama shook the hand of Justice Roberts, turned to the crowd and said: “Thank you, everybody,” before leaving the room.