US President Joe Biden will nominate Ketanji Brown Jackson so the US Supreme Court, fulfilling a campaign promise to nominate the first black woman to the nation’s highest court. If confirmed by the US Senate, the 51-year-old will make history in a Court that has seen just five women justices in its 232-year history.
Biden’s expected pick of Judge Jackson comes after an announcement of the intended retirement of the 83-year-old liberal Justice Stephen Breyer who has served on the Court since 1994.
Jackson was just last year confirmed to the D.C. Appellate Division, often viewed as the second most important court in the land based on its proximity to Washington D.C. the nation’s capital and seat of Government.
In its more than 200 years, the Court has seen just two black judges – none female. Jackson will now face scrutiny from the United States Senate – a body that confirmed her last year to the D.C. Appellate Division in a 53-44 vote, with three Republican Senators voting with Democrats in support of her nomination. She previously clerked for Justice Breyer – the man she will now seek to replace and if successful, the Supreme Court could see four female justices serving at the same time on a 9-member bench – which is a record.
VIDEO: US President Joe Biden set to appoint African American woman to Supreme Court
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