By: Stacy Brown
Two years to the date of then-Presidential candidate Joe Biden’s pledge to nominate a Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court, administration officials have confirmed that U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Judge Katanji Brown Jackson has been selected as the President’s nominee.
Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly canceled a scheduled trip today to attend a news conference for the historic announcement.
Administration officials said the White House continues to monitor the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and that could dictate the timing of the announcement. However, officials said the candidate of choice had been notified.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that there was no circumstance in which Biden would hold his announcement after February 28.
It was widely speculated that the three finalists included Judge Brown Jackson, Leondra Kruger, the California Supreme Court justice, and J. Michelle Childs, the judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.
Many said Judge Brown Jackson’s selection became clear after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit deviated from its typical procedure by issuing an opinion on Thursday, February 24.
That broke with its usual schedule of Tuesday and Friday as release days, widening speculation that Judge Brown Jackson was the choice.
