Biden says he's done a 'deep dive' on about 4 'incredibly well qualified' SCOTUS candidates


President Biden gave an update Thursday on how his search for the next Supreme Court justice is going, saying he has thoroughly reviewed about four "incredibly well qualified and documented" candidates.
The person he chooses will fill retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer's seat on the court. Biden, who has said he will nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, told NBC's Lester Holt that he is doing a "deep dive" on all potential nominees, so there won't be any surprises when background checks are conducted.
The candidates "were the honor students," Biden said. "They come from the best universities. They have experience, some on the bench, some in the practice of law."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Biden is talking to Democrats and Republicans alike about the candidates, and has already spoken with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
"I think whomever I pick will get a vote from the Republican side for the following reason — I'm not looking to make an ideological choice here," Biden told Holt. "I'm looking for someone who can replace Judge Breyer, with the same kind of capacity Judge Breyer had. With an open mind, who understands the Constitution, interprets it in a way that is consistent with the mainstream interpretation of the Constitution."
The White House has confirmed that one of the candidates being considered for the bench is Judge J. Michelle Childs, a federal judge in South Carolina who is the favorite of Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), Politico reports.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
How generative AI is changing the way we write and speak
In The Spotlight ChatGPT and other large language model tools are quietly influencing which words we use
-
How long can Nato keep Donald Trump happy?
Today's Big Question Military alliance pulls out all the stops to woo US president on his peacemaker victory lap
-
Easy Money: the Charles Ponzi Story – an 'enlightening' podcast
The Week Recommends Apple Original podcast explores the 'fascinating' tale of the man who gave the investment scam its name
-
Trump says Iran and Israel agreed to ceasefire
Speed Read This followed a night of Israeli airstrikes on Tehran and multiple waves of missiles fired by Iran
-
Israel strikes Iran, killing military and nuclear chiefs
Speed Read Israeli officials said the attack was a 'preemptive' strike on Iran's nuclear program
-
Israel deports Thunberg after seizing Gaza aid boat
speed read The Swedish activist was delivering food and medical aid to Palestine, highlighting the growing humanitarian crisis there
-
Colombian senator shot on streets of Bogotá
speed read Miguel Uribe Turbay, who has announced his candidacy for next year's presidential election, was shot at a rally
-
Trump says Putin vowed retaliation for Kyiv strike
speed read The Russian president intends to respond to Ukraine's weekend drone strikes on Moscow's warplanes
-
Dutch government falls over immigration policy
speed read The government collapsed after anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders quit the right-wing coalition
-
South Korea elects liberal Lee as president
speed read Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, was elected president following months of political instability in the wake of Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment
-
Nationalist wins tight Polish presidential election
speed read Karol Nawrocki beat Rafal Trzaskowski in Poland's presidential runoff election