President Biden has reportedly made his historic Supreme Court selection.
Biden has picked Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as his nominee for the Supreme Court, multiple outlets including CNN and The Associated Press reported Friday. If confirmed, Jackson would become the first Black woman to ever serve on the Supreme Court.
Jackson currently serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The Senate confirmed her to that position in a 53-44 vote in June 2021. At the time, Jackson was already thought to be a frontrunner for a Supreme Court seat. Last year, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) praised Jackson as "an outstanding, trailblazing nominee" with "all the qualities of a model jurist," and Republican Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) voted to confirm her, The New York Times notes.
"I think she's qualified for the job," Graham said in 2021, per ABC News. "She has a different philosophy than I do, but it's been that way the whole time."
Jackson previously served as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, and she would be filling the seat vacated by Breyer, as well. He had been facing calls to retire by those on the left to ensure Biden would be able to select his replacement. During his presidential campaign, Biden vowed he would nominate a Black would to the Supreme Court, and he's expected to officially unveil Jackson's selection on Friday afternoon with a few days remaining in Black History Month.
"The person I will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience, and integrity, and that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court," Biden said in January. "It's long overdue, in my view."