1/28/2022- 8:04 a.m.
Joe Biden has tapped a team of White House advisers with lengthy Supreme Court and Senate confirmation experience as he prepares to nominate the first Black woman to be an associate justice.
Biden will consult closely with Vice President Kamala Harris in a selection process that will be led in part by chief of staff Ron Klain, White House counsel Dana Remus, senior counsel Paige Herwig, and senior adviser Cedric Richmond, the White House said.
The team will need to guide Biden’s choice through what could be a bruising confirmation process from Republicans who hold 50 seats in the Senate, while tending to Democrat groups, from lawmakers to advocates, that have a stake in his decision.
Biden is expected to work from a list of about 10 or fewer people to pick a nominee. The White House may begin reaching out to and potentially meeting with possible Supreme Court picks as soon as next week.
On Thursday, Biden said he planned to nominate a Black woman to the post, a historic first that he called “long overdue.”
Activists had urged outgoing Justice Stephen Breyer, 83, to retire to ensure Biden gets an unfettered Supreme Court pick while Democrats control the Senate.
“We don’t want to take our time with this,” said Brian Fallon, executive director of advocacy group Demand Justice, welcoming a speedy process. Breyer has “given us a bit of a gift” with his early-in-the-year announcement, allowing the process to get started now and avoid hurdles, such as a senator catching COVID-19, that could derail it later.
November’s midterm elections could give control of the Senate to Republicans, making it more difficult for any Biden nominee to win the simple majority vote necessary for the lifetime Supreme Court seat.
