Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson would be the first black woman in history to serve on the Supreme Court.
Image source, Getty Images
President Joe Biden will nominate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, US media reports.
By doing so, the president will honour his commitment to make a black woman his first nomination to the country’s top court.
If confirmed, she will be the first black woman to serve in the court’s 233-year history.
She would replace liberal justice Stephen Breyer when he retires at the end of the court’s term in June.
Ms Jackson is a federal appeals judge, who has worked as a public defender.
With the Senate divided 50-50 between the parties, Democrats have just enough votes to confirm President Biden’s choice if they all back her. Vice President Kamala Harris has the deciding vote.
Justice Breyer’s replacement would not shift the court’s current 6-3 conservative majority.
The Supreme Court plays a key role in American life and is often the final word on highly contentious laws, disputes between states and the federal government, and final appeals to stay executions.
Ms Jackson, 51, currently serves on the influential US Court of Appeals for the DC circuit. Three current supreme court justices previously served on that court.
The jurist has two degrees from Harvard University, which she attended as an undergraduate and as a law student, and once serves as editor of the Harvard Law Review.
Mr Biden first promised to nominate an African American woman to the top court two years ago while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination.
“I’m looking forward to making sure there’s a black woman on the Supreme Court, to make sure we, in fact, get every representation,” he said at the time. Last month, he called the nomination of a black woman “long overdue”.
Black women make up about 3% of the federal judiciary, according to data from the Federal Judicial Center, the court system’s research arm.