US President Joe Biden has chosen Ketanji Brown Jackson as his Supreme Court candidate, according to a source who was notified of the decision.
This decision begins a historic process that could end in the confirmation of the first black woman to hold the position of the nation’s highest court.
Jackson, 51, currently serves on the federal appeals court in Washington, DC, and has been the favorite for the seat since Judge Stephen Breyer announced his retirement.
She received and accepted Biden’s offer in a call Thursday night, a source familiar with the decision told AFP. CNN.
Jackson worked for Breyer and served as a federal public defender in Washington — an experience her supporters say is fitting, given Biden’s commitment to putting more public defenders in federal court.
She was also a commissioner of the US Sentencing Commission and served in federal district court in DC (District of Columbia), as appointed by President Barack Obama, before Biden elevated her to the DC Circuit last year.
Biden’s choice is a chance for him to ignite a Democratic base that is less excited to vote in this year’s midterms than in recent election cycles.
It’s also a welcome change of subject for the president, whose approval ratings have plummeted in recent months as the Covid-19 pandemic dragged on and inflation took a toll on consumers across the country.
The choice gives Biden a chance to deliver on one of his key campaign promises, and he hopes black voters who were crucial to his election victory will see it as a return on their investment.
While historic, Jackson’s choice will not change the ideological makeup of the court.
The court currently has six Conservative and three Liberal judges — and Breyer, who is retiring, comes from the liberal camp.
The court is now poised to continue its shift to the right on high-profile cases and expected court rulings in the coming months on abortion, gun control and religious freedom issues.
Eyes will now turn to the Senate, where Biden’s Democratic Party holds the tightest possible majority.
The president hopes Jackson can garner bipartisan support, but the Democrats will need all of their members in Washington to secure his confirmation.
Unlike most major laws, Democrats do not need Republican help to confirm a Supreme Court justice and can do so with their 50 votes and Vice President Kamala Harris breaking a deadlock.
When Jackson was upheld in court of appeal, she had the support of three Republican senators.
As a judge — where some of the most politically charged cases are filed — Jackson has issued remarkable rulings on Congress’ ability to investigate the White House.
Last year, she was on the unanimous DC Circuit panel that ordered the release of certain Trump White House documents to the House Committee on the Jan.
After Breyer’s retirement announcement in late January, Biden began reviewing materials, such as legal and written records, about his potential choices, which included Jackson, California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger, and US District Judge. USA from South Carolina, J. Michelle Childs.
Biden pledged to appoint a black justice to the US Supreme Court when he was running for president in 2020.
On a debate stage in South Carolina, Biden argued that his effort to ensure that “there is a black woman on the Supreme Court” was rooted in an effort to “have everyone represented.”
Source: CNN Brasil
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