President Biden Has Met With All 3 Potential SCOTUS Nominees, Will Make Announcement Soon
CNN is reporting that President Joe Biden has met with his three potential Supreme Court nominees to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer: Ketanji Brown Jackson, Leondra Kruger, and J. Michelle Childs. President Biden’s final decision is expected by the end of this month.
During his presidential campaign, President Biden vowed to select a Black woman to serve on the high court, arguing such a nomination is long overdue. Jackson has long been considered the frontrunner, but the President has yet to make up his mind. Three sources confirmed the meetings with Kruger and Childs to CNN.
White House officials began reaching out to the potential Supreme Court candidates to gather more information about their records earlier this month. As part of the normal protocol in the vetting process, the FBI has contacted friends and former colleagues of potential nominees. Biden administration officials have also reached out in the last couple of days to liberal groups to let them know that the President was sticking to his timeline and urged them to support the President’s candidates against attacks from critics.
“President Reagan promised to put a woman on the Supreme Court … President Trump promised to put a woman on the Supreme Court.”
— Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says it isn’t inappropriate for President Biden to only look at SCOTUS nominees that are Black women. pic.twitter.com/7NNcxKNn98
— The Recount (@therecount) February 22, 2022
Cedric Richmond, Senior Adviser to the President, told members of the organization Win With Black Women on a Sunday night video conference call that the White House was “close” to finalizing the pick, according to a source who participated in the call. The group has been supportive of the administration, particularly Black women like Vice President Kamala Harris and Kristen Clarke, the assistant attorney general for civil rights.
.@ElieNYC on possible #SCOTUS nominees: "All of the women being bandied about right now are immaculately qualified. Especially when you talk about a Ketanji Brown Jackson who is maybe the leader in the club house right now. You don't get more qualified…" #TheReidOut #reiders pic.twitter.com/jCCJkW6Ynr
— The ReidOut (@thereidout) January 27, 2022
The Senate is expected to try to move quickly to confirm the president’s choice. In anticipation of the president’s decision, former Alabama Democratic Senator Doug Jones has begun his temporary role as nomination adviser, or “Sherpa” for the Supreme Court nominee. In this capacity, Jones will oversee the nominee’s preparations for her confirmation hearing and the schedule of meetings with senators.
SCHEDULE: @POTUS receives the PDB. So far there are no public events. SCOTUS interviews are happening as well as the fluid UKR/RUS situation. pic.twitter.com/ZFPkji6p29
— GeorgiaPeach, THEE OG Biden Babe 🥁🇺🇸 (@ChrisFromGA68) February 23, 2022