President Biden will convene with Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday at the White House to discuss the upcoming Supreme Court vacancy, a White House official said.
The influential panel oversees the Supreme Court confirmation process, including holding hearings. It is part of Mr. Biden’s formal “advice” phase of his search for a Supreme Court pick to replace retiring Justice Stephen G. Breyer.
The official said Mr. Biden “takes the advice role of the Senate very seriously.” Mr. Biden spoke with committee Republicans this week and will consult with a diverse group of legal experts, according to the official.
Mr. Biden has pledged to name a replacement by the end of February after a “rigorous” selection process.
He had pledged during the 2020 presidential campaign to pick a Black woman, a promise he has said in the past week will be kept.
Asked last week about what he’s looking for in a nominee, Mr. Biden offered a general list of attributes.
“I’m looking for a candidate with character, with qualities of a judge in terms of being courteous to the folks before them and treating people with respect, as well as a judicial philosophy that … there are unenumerated rights in the Constitution, and all the amendments mean something, including the Ninth Amendment,” he said.
Top candidates to replace Justice Breyer include federal Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was confirmed in June to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger.
Other contenders for the lifetime appointment are said to include U.S. District Judges Wilhelmina Wright (Minnesota), Michelle Childs (South Carolina) and Leslie Abrams Gardner (Georgia), and Sherrilyn Ifill, director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.