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President Joe Biden lauded “uniquely accomplished” Ketanji Brown Jackson Friday as he nominated her to be the first Black woman in US history to serve on the Supreme Court.
Jackson was appointed to the federal bench in 2013, and was backed by three Republican senators last year when she was elevated to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, seen as a staging ground for aspiring Supreme Court justices.
“She steps up to fill Justice (Stephen) Breyer’s place on the court with a uniquely accomplished and wide ranging background,” Biden said as he officially unveiled his decision at a White House appearance with the 51-year-old jurist.
“As it happens, I share a birthday with the first Black woman ever to be appointed as a federal judge, the Honorable Constance Baker Motley,” Jackson said as she accepted the nomination.
“We were born exactly 49 years to the day apart. Today, I proudly stand on Judge Motley’s shoulders, sharing not only her birthday, but also her steadfast and courageous commitment to equal justice under law.”
With one liberal justice replacing another the announcement will not reshape the ideological make-up of the court -- but it is a huge moment for Biden personally and politically.
White House officials hope it will provide a few days of positive news coverage ahead of the president’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.
The pick presents an opportunity for the administration to pivot from a spate of bad news in recent months, with Biden’s domestic agenda stalled amid runaway inflation and plummeting poll numbers.
The announcement is a chance for Biden to show the Black voters who rescued his floundering 2020 primary campaign that he can deliver for them following the recent defeat of voting rights legislation.
