President Joe Biden says he will nominate a Black woman to replace Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court.
Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Biden officially announced Breyer’s plan to retire and said the process to select a nominee to fill the vacancy will be “rigorous.”
“I will select a nominee worthy of Justice Breyer’s legacy of excellence and decency. While I’ve been studying candidates’ backgrounds and writings, I’ve made no decision except one: The person I will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience, and integrity,” he continued.
Finally, Biden said, “That person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court. It’s long overdue, in my opinion. I made that commitment during the campaign for president, and I will keep that commitment.”
Watch the video below:
BREAKING: "I've made no decision except one: The person I will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications…That person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court," Pres. Biden announces. https://t.co/hQKNJg7Lhr pic.twitter.com/yDjebjLOVu
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 27, 2022
During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden vowed that he would make history by nominating the first Black woman to the court.
“I commit that if I’m elected president and have an opportunity to appoint someone to the court, I’ll appoint the first Black woman to the court,” he said during a March 2020 debate. “It’s required that they have representation now — it’s long overdue.”
After it was reported that Breyer was planning on retiring, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that Biden “stands by” his commitment to nominate the first Black woman to the court.
However, she declined to comment further on the nomination process until Breyer made an official statement announcing his resignation.
Biden said that he would announce his choice of a nominee by the end of February and that he has not made a selection yet.
Breyer’s resignation will give Biden his first chance to nominate a Supreme Court justice.
