Biden expected to nominate black woman to U.S. Supreme Court.

The retirement of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer offers President Joe Biden the chance to nominate a black woman to the nation’s highest court, as he promised during his election campaign.

The impending retirement of Breyer, 84, confirmed Wednesday by several sources, could not come at a better time for a Democratic Party battered by the failure of Biden’s legislative agenda last week in Congress.

Breyer, 83, has been a pragmatic force on a Supreme Court that has been losing liberal influence in recent years following the appointment of three conservative justices by former President Donald Trump.

Democrats aim to replace Breyer with a younger liberal justice who can remain on the court for many years now that they hold a majority in the Senate that they could lose in the November congressional elections.

If Biden makes good on his promise to appoint the first black female justice to the Supreme Court, Democrats also hope to encourage black voters, whose support will be critical in the campaign.

Among the names being bandied about are California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger, federal judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, well-known civil rights lawyer Sherrilyn Ifill and federal judge Michelle Childs, Biden’s nominee to the federal appeals court.

Childs is the favorite of Representative James Clyburn of South Carolina, whose endorsement proved crucial to Biden’s 2020 primary win.

“It’s a huge opportunity for us,” opined Aimee Allison, founder of She the People, a national organization that promotes voting among non-white women. “Nominating a black woman at this time would help offset the legislative and political setbacks we’ve seen recently.”

Breyer has been a member of the Supreme Court since 1994, when he was appointed by then-President Bill Clinton. Like the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Breyer opted not to leave the court the last time Democrats controlled the White House and Senate, during Barack Obama’s tenure.

Ginsburg passed away in September 2020 and Trump replaced her with conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

It is not known exactly when Breyer’s retirement will be finalized, but Democratic senators who control the confirmation process plan to begin the process as soon as possible.

[Con información de AP]

Connect with Voice of America! Subscribe to our YouTube and activate notifications, or follow us on social networks: Facebook, Twitter e Instagram.