President Joe Biden vowed to nominate a black woman to the Supreme Court on Thursday, following the announcement by Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer that he would retire.
“Our process is going to be rigorous. I will select a nominee worthy of Justice Breyer’s legacy of excellence and decency,” said Biden. “While I’ve been studying candidates backgrounds and writings, I’ve made no decision except one: person I will nominate will be some of the extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity.
President Biden is keeping his promise—the next person who fills this seat will be the first Black woman nominated to the United States Supreme Court.pic.twitter.com/6arybJGRmJ
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) January 28, 2022
“And that person will be the first black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court. It’s long overdue in my view. I made that commitment during the campaign for president,” Biden continued.
Biden has, on multiple occasions, said that he would nominate a black woman to the court. On at least three occasions, the then-presidential candidate made promises to the public that he would do so.
February 25, 2020: “We talked about the Supreme Court — I’m looking forward to making sure there’s a black woman on the Supreme Court to make sure we, in fact, get everyone represented.”
March 15, 2020: “Number one I committed that if I’m elected as president and have the opportunity to appoint someone to the courts, I’ll appoint the first black woman to the court. It’s required that they have representation now — it’s long overdue,”
‘The vice president will play a central role in this process’ — The White House explained who will help Pres. Biden choose a nominee to the Supreme Court pic.twitter.com/5u1kOA64le
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 28, 2022
June 30, 2020: “We are putting together a list of African American women who are qualified and have the experience to be on the court. I am not going to release that until we go further down the line in vetting them as well.”
The last promise was made during the riots sparked by the death of George Floyd.
