The President of the United States, Joe Biden, confirmed on Thursday January 27 that he would appoint, for the first time in history, a black woman to the Supreme Court, the highest court in the country, to replace the judge resigning Stephen Breyer.
The Democratic president, who had made this promise during his campaign, clarified, during a speech at the White House, that he had not stopped his choice and wanted to make it public. “at the end of February”. He added that he had two certainties: “The person I appoint will have extraordinary qualifications, personality, experience and integrity. And that person will be the first black woman appointed to the Supreme Court”.
A black magistrate, Clarence Thomas, currently sits on the Supreme Court, which has nine members appointed for life. He is one of the most conservative judges in the institution. Of the 115 justices who have served on the Supreme Court since its inception, there have been only five women – four white and one Hispanic – and two black men.
Ketanji Brown Jackson tops predictions
Progressive judge Stephen Breyer, 83, will leave office at the end of the current session at the end of June, several American media reported on Wednesday. His withdrawal should allow Joe Biden to choose his successor and obtain his confirmation in the Senate before the midterm elections in November.
Among the potential candidates to replace him is Ketanji Brown Jackson, 51, whom the American president brought to the federal appeals court in Washington, considered a springboard for the Supreme Court. Her background – a high school eloquence contest champion, a graduate with honors from the prestigious Harvard University, a career in public and private, and eight years as a federal trial judge – puts Ketanji Brown Jackson at the top of the odds. .
The name of Leondra Kruger, judge of the Supreme Court of California, 45, is also circulating insistently. Daughter of a Jamaican immigrant, she worked for the Obama administration.
Appointments to the Supreme Court, which arbitrates most major social issues in the United States, have been the subject of fierce political battles for several years. During his tenure, Republican Donald Trump brought in three judges, out of a total of nine, which firmly anchored the institution in conservatism. Their influence has been particularly felt since September, with a sharp shift to the right. The temple of law has invalidated the vaccination obligation in large companies decreed by Joe Biden and seems ready to reconsider the right to abortion and to expand the right to bear arms.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said he was ready on Wednesday to organize ” quickly “ a confirmation hearing for Stephen Breyer’s successor. The US Constitution provides that the nine high court justices are appointed for life by the president and confirmed by the upper house of Congress. The Republicans do not hide that they could block a candidate chosen by Joe Biden if they regain the majority in the Senate.