With Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement announcement, President Biden is now following through on his campaign promise that if a vacancy occurs on his watch, he will nominate the first black woman to the Supreme Court.
“The person I will nominate will be somebody with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity,” Biden said last week. “And that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court.
“It’s long overdue, in my view,” he added. “I made that commitment during the campaign for President, and I will keep that commitment.”
Among the believed frontrunners is Judge J. Michelle Childs of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.
Notably, she’s the favorite pick of Rep. James Clyburn, the No. 3 House Democrat who reportedly only gave Biden his endorsement ahead of the South Carolina primary on the condition that Biden pledge to nominate a black woman to the high court.
But that’s not the only support she’s getting. Among Republicans, Sen. Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, appeared to give the judge his wholehearted approval on “Face the Nation.”
“I can’t think of a better person for President Biden to consider for the Supreme Court than Michelle Childs. She is considered to be a fair-minded, highly-gifted jurist. She is one of the most decent people I have ever met,” Graham said.
"I can't think of a better person for President Biden to consider for the Supreme Court then Michelle Childs," @LindseyGrahamSC tells @margbrennan. pic.twitter.com/I90qMetX2d
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) January 30, 2022
Graham also praised Childs' educational background.
"It would be good for the court to have somebody who's not at Harvard or Yale," he added. "She's a graduate of the University of South Carolina. A public-education background. She's been a worker's comp judge. She's highly qualified. She's a good character. And we'll see how she does if she's nominated. But I cannot say anything bad about Michelle Childs. She is an awesome person."