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White House press secretary Jen Psaki Wednesday affirmed President Biden’s promise to nominate a Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer.
“The president has stated and reiterated his commitment to nominating a Black woman to the Supreme Court and certainly stands by that,” Psaki said during the daily press briefing. Psaki said the president “stands by” his former remarks.
During a February 2020 Democratic debate, Biden promised to nominate a Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. “We talked about the Supreme Court — I’m looking forward to making sure there’s a Black woman on the Supreme Court to make sure we in fact get everyone represented,” Biden said at the time.
SUPREME COURT JUSTICE STEPHEN BREYER TO RETIRE
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House on January 26, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
With the exception of saying Biden would stick to his commitment on appointing a Black woman, Psaki generally refused to comment on Breyer’s departure, given that he had not made the announcement himself. Asked if there is “any scenario in which the president would select” Harris to serve on the Supreme Court, Psaki said, “I’m not going to speak to any considerations, preparations, lists.” But she noted: “The President has every intention, as he has said before, of running for re-election, and for running for re-election with Vice President Harris on the ticket as his partner.”
U.S. President Joe Biden acknowledges U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris during a press conference in the State Dinning Room at the White House on November 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
“As we’ve stated earlier, and as you heard the president say, there is a long history of Supreme Court justices determining when they may retire, if they retire, and announcing that,” she added. “That remains the case today.”
A police officer patrols in front of of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021. (Emily Elconin/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Breyer, who is 83, has been the subject of rampant speculation about his retirement. Liberal activists were calling for the justice to retire soon after Biden was inaugurated. Sources close to Breyer, however, claimed Breyer made the decision on his own terms and was not forced out.
Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this article.
