It was one of US President Joe Biden’s key campaign promises, and now he has kept it: For the first time in US history, he has nominated a black woman for a post on the Supreme Court. Ketanji Brown Jackson, 51, is said to be the president’s successor to Stephen Breyer, 83, who recently announced his retirement for the summer.
This does not change the political balance at the court; it will continue to consist of six conservative and three liberal judges. Former President Donald Trump had three posts on the Supreme Court during his tenure, which made it much more conservative.
Most recently, Jackson worked at the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington
In fact, the positions are for life, and Breyer had repeatedly indicated that he had no intention of leaving his job prematurely. However, many leading members of the Democratic Party have long been working behind the scenes on him to please resign. On the one hand, so that his post cannot one day be filled by a Republican president, on the other hand, to give Biden the chance now to make history by nominating an African American woman.
Most recently, Jackson worked at the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington. When she was appointed to this post last summer, it was taken as a sign that she is one of the favorites for the Constitutional Court. Her appointment was also supported by three Republican senators at the time. Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, Susan Collins from Maine and Lindsey Graham from South Carolina gave their voices to Jackson. It is questionable whether they will do so again, since appointments to the Supreme Court have recently been extremely contested in partisan politics.
Democrats and Republicans currently each hold 50 seats in the Senate. In the event of a stalemate, Vice President Kamala Harris casts the deciding vote, meaning the Democrats have a de facto majority. It is therefore expected that Jackson’s nomination will be successful, even if all Republicans refuse to approve it.
Jackson graduated from Harvard Law School. She worked for Stephen Breyer for a while about 20 years ago. Ten years ago, when asked whether he thought Jackson would be suitable for a position at the federal district court in Washington, he said: “Take her!” He commended Jackson as a lawyer able to look at all aspects of an issue. “She sees the points of view of others,” he said, “and she understands them.”