United States President Joe Biden committed to nominating the country's first Black female Supreme Court Justice in the wake of Stephen Breyer's retirement announcement, sparking a weeklong political clash between Democrats and Republicans.
The U.S. president said he was planning on naming a successor to Breyer by the end of February after a deliberate process. However, the Democrat declined to answer questions about it, arguing that the day should be focused on honoring Breyer's career.
First Black Female SC Justice
In the Roosevelt Room, Biden spoke with the justice by his side, hailing Breyer's four decades on the federal bench, which includes almost 28 years on the Supreme Court. The American president called the justice's retirement a "bittersweet day" and praised him for his remarkable career in public service.
Justice Breyer confirmed his retirement in a letter that was sent to U.S. President Biden, where he called it a "great honor" to have participated in maintaining the Constitution and the rule of law. After Biden spoke, Breyer recalled his experiences throughout his decades-long career and praised how the American "experiment" managed to continue, the New York Times reported.
While Biden was honoring Breyer at the White House on Thursday, the Democratic leader also committed to nominating a successor with "extraordinary qualifications, character, experience, and integrity." The U.S. president also said that his nominee would be the first Black woman ever to be nominated to the United States Supreme Court.
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In his remarks, the American president said that the nomination was "long overdue" and noted that he made that commitment when he was campaigning for president and that he planned to keep it. Breyer's retirement from the court allows Biden to have his first opportunity at selecting a Supreme Court justice.
The choice is consequential and will most likely make history and shape the Democrat's presidential legacy for decades to come. It could also give the left a chance to claim much-needed political advantage ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, CNN reported.
Biden's Commitment
The situation comes as Democrats want to avoid a situation similar to what happened with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. During her last years on the court, the official battled cancer and declined to step down during former President Barack Obama's second term in office.
Ginsburg died just months before the 2020 presidential election, which allowed former United States President Donald Trump to replace her with a conservative, Amy Coney Barrett, who solidified a conservative majority on the court. Many congressional Democrats welcomed Breyer's retirement while praising his service on the court.
Biden's commitment to nominating a Black woman as Breyer's successor could be one of a couple of dozen Black female judges currently serving on the federal bench. A handful of the options are expected to be on Biden's shortlist. However, two names have emerged as front runners.
The two women are Federal Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger. Jackson was also on Obama's shortlist for the court in 2016 and was regularly mentioned by Democrats. On the other hand, Kruger was the assistant and then deputy solicitor general in both Democratic and Republican administrations before being nominated to California's Supreme Court, NPR reported.
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