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President Biden said he is not seeking an “ideological” Supreme Court nominee, insisting that he wants someone of the same “capacity” as outgoing Justice Stephen Breyer for a replacement.
Biden’s remarks came during a Thursday evening preview of his interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt, which is slated to be released in full on Sunday prior to the Super Bowl.
President Joe Biden speaks on the retirement of Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022.
(Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Biden said he is looking closely at and conducted a “deep dive” on the backgrounds of four candidates.
“Well, I think we’ll, whomever I think will get a vote from Republican side for the following reason – I’m not looking to make an ideological choice here, I’m looking for someone to replace Judge Breyer with the same kind of capacity Judge Breyer had, with an open mind, who understands the Constitution, interprets it in a way that is consistent with the mainstream interpretation of the Constitution,” Biden said.
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Biden claimed those under consideration for the position on the high court are “incredibly well qualified and documented.”
“They were the honor students. They come from the best universities. They have experience, some on the bench, some in the practice,” Biden told Holt.
In this Friday, Nov. 6, 2020 file photo, The Supreme Court is seen at sundown in Washington.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
In January, Biden said he will announce his nominee to replace Breyer before the end of February, and that the candidate will be a Black woman.
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Earlier this month, Biden said he is looking for a candidate “with character” and a judicial philosophy that “suggests that there are unenumerated rights to the Constitution and all the amendments mean something, including the Ninth Amendment.”
The Ninth Amendment states that the “enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”
Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this article.
