White House Promises POTUS Won’t Be ‘Gaming the System’ With SCOTUS Nomination
President Joe Biden will meet with Senate Judiciary Committee leaders on Tuesday to discuss the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court vacancy and the President’s promise to nominate a Black woman to the high court. Aides said President Biden’s list of potential candidates is longer than three.
Among the nominees under consideration are Ketanji Brown Jackson, a former Breyer clerk who serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger; U.S. District Court Judge Wilhelmina Wright from Minnesota; and Melissa Murray, a New York University law professor who is an expert in family law and reproductive rights justice.
The White House also pushed back Monday on the idea that the President would be open to “gaming the system” by choosing a nominee solely based on her likelihood of garnering bipartisan support. The White House also said it has yet to designate an official to oversee the process, Biden Administration officials expect top lawyers in the White House Counsel’s office plus the President’s Chief of Staff Ron Klain, who has decades of experience working on nominees, to help in the selection process.
In light of conservative criticism of President Biden's SCOTUS pledge, it's worth remembering that, in 2016, Trump vowed to name judicial nominees exclusively picked by the Federalist Society — which excluded many otherwise qualified candidates.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 31, 2022
Jackson was mentioned as an early favorite based on her ties to Breyer; she has also already met with the President. But U.S. District Court J. Michelle Childs, who has been nominated to the same appeals circuit where Jackson presides, just may be the frontrunner now that more members of the Senate are voicing their support. Childs is Majority Whip Rep. Jim Clyburn’s (D-SC) choice. Clyburn was instrumental in helping the President secure the Black vote during his campaign by suggesting he announce he would appoint a Black woman to the Court. Childs also has bipartisan support; Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott, both of South Carolina, each have expressed approval for Childs.
NEW: Jim Clyburn is currently making a huge push for Michelle Childs as Biden's Supreme Court pick. As a lawyer, Childs repeatedly defended employers accused of racial and gender discrimination by Black women, and was a partner at an anti-union law firm. https://t.co/62UbE4gERP
— Alex Sammon (@alex_sammon) January 31, 2022
Judiciary Chairman Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and ranking minority member Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), will meet with President Biden at the White House to go over potential nominees to replace Justice Stephen Breyer, who announced his retirement last week. The President himself served as head of the Judiciary Committee when he was a senator and presided over the confirmations of six high court picks, including Breyer.
Our court has been politicized and filled with unqualified puppets. #ExpandTheCourt pic.twitter.com/KFTHbQVpJ4
— SugarMountain (@SugarMountain18) January 31, 2022
President Biden has pledged a pick by the end of February.
Justice Breyer has an extraordinary record of public service. I’m very happy that President Biden will fill this seat by naming the first Black woman to the Supreme Court. And we ought to #ExpandTheCourt to give her at least four more new colleagues & rebalance this institution.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) January 27, 2022