WATCH: Biden Nominates Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for U.S. Supreme Court
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, a U.S. Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, poses for a portrait, Friday, Feb., 18, 2022, in her office at the court in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The White House says President Joe Biden will nominate federal appeals court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to be the first Black woman on the Supreme Court.
In selecting Jackson, Biden delivers on a campaign promise, moving to further diversify a court that was made up entirely of white men for almost two centuries.
Jackson is an attorney who possesses the type of elite legal background found in other high court justices, but who’s worked as a public defender.
If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, she’d fill the seat on the nine-member court that will be vacated by Justice Stephen Breyer. He’s retiring at the end of the term.
With Republicans and Democrats each controlling 50 seats in the Senate and Vice President Kamala Harris casting tie-breaking votes, Jackson will need support from all 50 Democrats — if Republican senators oppose her nomination — in order to be confirmed, which she is expected to receive.
(Copyright 2022 The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)
