WASHINGTON--President Joe Biden on Friday nominated federal appellate judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to become the first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, saying it was time for America's top judicial body to reflect "the full talents and greatness of our nation."
Biden picked Jackson, 51, for a lifetime job on the high court to succeed retiring liberal Justice Stephen Breyer, setting up a confirmation battle in the closely divided Senate. Jackson's nomination fulfills a campaign promise Biden made two years ago to the day to deliver the historic appointment.
Biden appeared at the White House with Jackson and Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black person to hold that office after he chose her as his 2020 running mate. "For too long, our government, our courts haven't looked like America. I believe it's time that we have a court that reflects the full talents and greatness of our nation with a nominee of extraordinary qualifications," Biden said.
Biden called Jackson a "proven consensus builder, an accomplished lawyer, a distinguished jurist," adding that he "looked for someone like Justice Breyer who has a pragmatic understanding that the law must work for the American people."
If confirmed, Jackson would join the liberal bloc on an increasingly assertive court that has a 6-3 conservative majority, including three justices appointed by Biden's Republican predecessor, Donald Trump.
Jackson paid tribute to Biden for "discharging your constitutional duty in service of our democracy with all that is going on in the world today," apparently alluding to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
She thanked God "for delivering me to this point in my professional journey. My life has been blessed beyond measure. And I do know that one can only come this far by faith."
Jackson has served since last year on the influential U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit after eight years as a federal district judge in Washington and earlier working as a Supreme Court clerk for Breyer. Jackson would become the sixth woman to serve on the Supreme Court, which currently has three female justices.
Biden noted Jackson's family ties, with both her parents being former public school teachers and two uncles and a brother having worked in law enforcement. Another uncle served a prison sentence for drug-related offenses.
Biden, who took office last year, is sagging in opinion polls, with 43% of U.S. adults approving of his job performance in a Reuters/Ipsos poll. Any political benefit for Biden with the historic nomination could be diluted by the Ukraine crisis.
As a White House hopeful in early 2020, Biden pledged to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court at a time when his candidacy was in trouble. Support from Black voters subsequently helped hand him a victory in the South Carolina Democratic primary, propelling him to further victories that secured him his party's presidential nomination.
Biden's party needs Black voters, women and other key members of its political base to turn out for November midterm elections that could change the balance of power in Washington.
Democrats, which control the evenly split 100-seat Senate thanks to Harris's tie-breaking vote, could confirm Jackson with no Republican votes if they remain united. They hope to move the nomination on a timetable similar to the single month that Republicans used for Trump's third appointee, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, in 2020.
