Psaki Says Biden ‘Stands By’ His Promise To Nominate A Black Woman To Supreme Court

Screenshot White House Press Briefing 1/26/22, YouTube

President Joe Biden is standing by his promise to nominate a black woman to the Supreme Court in the event of a vacancy, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday.

News broke earlier Wednesday that Associate Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, 83, plans to retire at the end of the current term. While the White House declined to comment until Breyer himself makes the announcement, Psaki confirmed the president stands by a vow he made in 2020 regarding a future potential nomination.

“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 a press briefing. “For today, again, I’m just not going to be able to say anything about any specifics until, of course, Justice Breyer makes any announcement should he decide to make an announcement.”

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Prior to the press briefing, Psaki tweeted that the White House would not be commenting on news of Breyer’s planned retirement. President Joe Biden later reiterated the administration’s stance, telling reporters he’d “be happy to talk about it later” in the event Breyer issues an announcement.

“It has always been the decision of any Supreme Court Justice if and when they decide to retire, and how they want to announce it, and that remains the case today. We have no additional details or information to share from @WhiteHouse,” Psaki tweeted.

Biden vowed in 2020 to nominate a black woman to the Supreme Court should he have the opportunity to do so. The president noted at the time that he was already putting together a list of qualified black women, but he declined to release it prior to a vetting process. (RELATED: Biden ‘Has Not Dodged’ Court Packing Question, Just ‘Not Going To Answer,’ Says Campaign Co-Chairman)

This will be the president’s first opportunity to nominate an individual to the Supreme Court.