OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
President Joe Biden has narrowed his field of candidates for the Supreme Court down to around four contenders.
But the way he talked about it in a recent interview with NBC anchor Lester Holt, set to be aired during the Super Bowl, led an Associated Press reporter to crack wise about the process.
“When will President Biden meet with Senate Republicans on the Judiciary Committee? And also, just a point of clarification from the interview with Lester Holt. About — I believe he said “about four people” that he’s doing the deep dive on. Three and a half, four and a half? “ reporter Aamer Madhani said to laughter.
“There’s no three and a half people, Aamer,” Psaki said.
“If you could just offer — are we down to four finalists?” the reporter pressed.
“Well, I’m not going to build on what the President said. It is natural that as this process has proceeded, that the list would become smaller. That’s a natural part of the process,” the press secretary said.
“But again, as he said many times, he is looking at a range of qualified individuals, strong legal minds, individuals with strong credentials who have strong character and a dedication to the rule of law.
“But in terms of the specific numbers: I understand your question. It’s natural to be growing smaller. But I don’t have any — anything to build on to what he said,” she said.
“And as far as Senate Republicans?” the reporter said.
“He will continue to consult closely with Democrats and Republicans. That will continue into next week. But I don’t have anything to preview for you at this point in time,” she said.
It came after Biden’s comments to Holt.
“Can I ask you where you stand right now in your nomination process for Supreme Court,” the anchor said in an interview. “What your shortlist looks like, or if you want to name the nominee right here we’d be happy to hear.”
“Well, first of all, the shortlist are nominees who are incredibly well qualified and documented,” the president said.
The anchor then asked the president how many people have made the shortlist.
“Well, what I’ve done is, I’ve taken about four people and done the deep dive on the, meaning this thorough background checks, and see if there’s anything in the background that would make them not qualified,” he said.
“Is it important that you believe they’ll get a vote from the Republican side?” he anchor said.
“I think whomever I pick 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,” the president said.
One of the contenders, U.S. Appeals Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has taken the lead in the sweepstakes to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, Yahoo News reported.
President Obama first appointed her as a federal district judge in 2013 and considered her as a possible nominee to fill the seat of Justice Antonin Scalia when he died suddenly six years ago.
Last year, the Senate confirmed her 53 to 44 as Biden’s choice for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. That court has often been a stepping stone to a Supreme Court nomination, including for Scalia and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Brett M. Kavanaugh as well as Merrick Garland, whose nomination was blocked in 2016.
Those who know Jackson say she always drew praise and respect.
“Even among that rarified crowd of law clerks, she stood out — not only because of her sharp intellect and keen ability to identify and analyze legal issues, but also for her natural leadership skills,” University of Georgia law professor Sonja West said. She “knows how to bring people together, build their trust and bring down the temperature in the room. Yet she also has a fearless confidence in her opinions.”
She is married to Dr. Patrick G. Jackson, a surgeon who set me at Harvard and who is connected to Republican former Speaker of the House, Rep. Paul Ryan as his twin brother is Ryan’s brother-in-law.
