President Biden has begun interviewing candidates to succeed Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, according to a source familiar with the process.
During his presidential campaign, Mr. Biden vowed to select an African American woman to serve on the high court, arguing such a nomination is long overdue. Top names said to be under consideration include Ketanji Brown Jackson, who serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia; California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger; Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, who sits on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago; and J. Michelle Childs, a federal district court judge based in Columbia, South Carolina.
Mr. Biden is expected to announce his selection by the end of February.
The president indicated in an interview with NBC News earlier this month that he had narrowed the field to four candidates, and FBI background checks were being conducted on the four. Mr. Biden said in that same interview that he he was looking for a nominee “with an open mind, who understands the Constitution, interprets it in a way that is consistent with the mainstream interpretation of the Constitution.”
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.
