Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Jamaal Bowman at a news conference at the Capitol on December 8, 2021.
Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Jamaal Bowman at a news conference at the Capitol on December 8, 2021.Alex Wong/Getty Images
  • Liberal Justice Stephen Breyer is reportedly retiring from his Supreme Court seat.
  • Democratic lawmakers are already calling on Biden to nominate a Black woman to replace Breyer.
  • Biden pledged to nominate a Black woman for the first time to the high court during the 2020 campaign.

Following reports that liberal Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will retire at the end of this term, Democrats quickly moved to call on President Joe Biden to nominate a Black woman for the seat.

Biden pledged to do just that during the 2020 presidential campaign, telling voters at a South Carolina debate in February of 2020 that he was "looking forward to making sure there's a black woman on the Supreme Court to make sure we in fact get everyone represented." White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki reiterated that pledge in March of last year.

Biden, if he chooses to fulfill that pledge, already has a number of potential candidates for the job including DC Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and California State Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger.

Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington appeared to be the first senator to weigh in, issuing a statement declaring that it is "unacceptable that we have never in our nation's history had a Black woman sit on the Supreme Court of the United States."

Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois, while not explicitly calling for a Black woman to be appointed, seemed to nod towards the pledge in a statement noting Biden's "opportunity to nominate someone who will bring diversity, experience, and an evenhanded approach to the administration of justice."

But on the House side, a number of Democrats were more forthright in their statements. "You promised us a Black woman on the Supreme Court. Let's seee it happen," Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York tweeted. Fellow Squad member Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts also said that "it's time for a Black woman on the Supreme Court."

Those calls were echoed from other Black House Democrats, including Reps. Bobby Rush of Illinois, Cori Bush of Missouri, Brenda Lawrence of Michigan, Barbara Lee of California, and Federica Wilson of Florida.

Progressive Democratic Reps. Ro Khanna of California and Marie Newman of Illinois also joined calls for Biden to nominate a Black woman to replace the 83-year-old justice.

 

 

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