Since the news of Justice Stephen Breyer’s decision to retire from the Supreme Court broke, it has left many wondering who will fill his seat. It is widely speculated that President Biden will choose to nominate an African American woman to the court as he promised during his campaign for president. Nominating such a nominee would be a historic first in efforts to diversify the court.
Here are some names that have been discussed as prime candidates for an open Supreme Court seat.
Ketanji Brown Jackson
Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has been named the alleged front runner for the nomination. Presiding over what is to be considered the second most influential court in America next to the Supreme Court, Judge Jackson has been named a favorite by the Congressional Black Caucus and other lawmakers. Jackson, 51, is also a leading contender due to her nomination for the DC Circuit Court already passing the current senate just last year. This takes the pressure of her nomination not passing the senate off of Biden by her 2021 nomination gaining not only the votes of all 50 democratic senators but also three senate republicans.
Leondra Kruger
Leondra Kruger is speculated to be Biden’s runner up in the field of potential Supreme Court nominees. Kruger, 45, has already made history in America’s judicial system as the youngest justice on California’s Supreme Court when appointed by former California Governor Jerry Brown in 2014. Justice Kruger is familiar with the Supreme Court having worked as a clerk for the Supreme Court previously and served as acting deputy solicitor general in the Obama administration. While at the Justice Department, she also earned the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service in 2013 and 2014. While her resume is long and impressive, her biggest problem to Biden is that she has yet to go through a vetting process through the senate, leaving the president unsure her nomination would even pass.
J. Michelle Childs
Judge Childs name has also circulated as a potential nominee as Biden just last month nominated Childs to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and the nomination remains pending. Judge Childs has spent the past decade as a district court judge in South Carolina who was appointed by former President Barack Obama. Childs is said to have a major booster in House Majority Whip James Clyburn, a Biden ally who helped deliver South Carolina for the eventual nominee in the 2020 Democratic primary.
Anita Earls
Justice Earls, 62, is an associate justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court with a Yale Law School degree. She was appointed by former President Bill Clinton as deputy assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department in 1998. Although at 61 years old, she is may be too old to be considered for a lifetime appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court amongst the Democrats.
Sherrilyn Ifill
Sherrilyn Ifill, 59, is a civil rights attorney and the head of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. The lawyer has a large support from some members of the Congressional Black Caucus. In November, the NAACP announced that Ifill plans to step down in the spring after more than nine years in charge. Ifill has also been a frequent presence particularly on topics surrounding voting rights and the criminal justice system.
Wilhelmina Wright
Wilhelmina Wright is a Minnesota federal district court judge appointed by Obama and has served since 2016. Wright, who is Minnesota’s first Black female federal judge, is also the only jurist in the state’s history to serve on the state district court, appellate court and state Supreme Court. She is believed to be a favorite of Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), a member of the Judiciary Committee, which processes Supreme Court and other judicial nominations.
Eunice Lee
Circuit Judge Eunice Lee, a former New York public defender Biden nominated to the Second Circuit on the recommendation of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer who is the Senate Majority Leader. Lee would also be the first former public defender on the Supreme Court and continue to diversify it professionally.
Candace Jackson-Akiwumi
Circuit Judge Candace Jackson-Akiwumi is a former Chicago public defender whose appointment by Biden to the Seventh Circuit was supported by Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin of Illinois. Jackson-Akiwumi would also be the first former public defender on the Supreme Court and continue to diversify it professionally.