President Biden has reportedly chosen his first Supreme Court nominee and will reveal the name as soon as Friday, setting up a historic confirmation process of the first Black female justice
The selection is expected to come no later than Monday, and a Friday ceremony would coincide with the two-year anniversary of Mr. Biden’s promise at a 2020 primary debate in South Carolina to select a Black woman for the court, according to CNN.
Mr. Biden must formally offer the lifetime position to the nominee. The timing of an announcement ceremony is unclear, given the unfolding situation in Ukraine, but Vice President Kamala Harris postponed a trip to Louisiana scheduled for Friday, raising suspicions it was due to a forthcoming announcement.
Three judges are considered the front-runners: Ketanji Brown Jackson, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; Leondra Kruger, who presides on the California Supreme Court; and J. Michelle Childs, who is on the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.
The Senate must confirm the nominee, who would replace retiring Associate Justice Stephen G. Breyer.
Justice Breyer is considered one of three liberal justices on the court, so his replacement from the Democratic administration would not tilt the main ideological balance of the court.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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