OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham indicated that he would support Joe Biden’s plan to nominate a black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The White House has confirmed that U.S. District Court Judge J. Michelle Childs is on Biden’s shortlist of names to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, according to USA Today.
“Judge J. Michelle Childs has served on the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina since 2010. House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., an ally to the Biden administration, supports Childs,” the outlet added.
“Childs, whom Biden nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit this month, is the first candidate the White House has publicly confirmed. Her consideration for the Supreme Court was reported by The Washington Post days before she was scheduled to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee for her confirmation hearing,” the report continued.
“Biden is considering more than a dozen candidates for the seat, according to a source familiar with the process who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitives involved with the nomination process,” USA Today added.
“Some of the names under consideration have circulated for months, including Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson of the D.C. Circuit and California Supreme Court Associate Justice Leondra Kruger. The White House is also considering Sherrilyn Ifill, who is stepping down as president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls, the source said,” the report stated.
White House confirms Judge J. Michelle Childs under consideration for Supreme Court https://t.co/XbRLfBu5yL pic.twitter.com/jVSFO9UhMt
— The Hill (@thehill) January 29, 2022
The U.S. Senate is currently split 50-50, but Vice President Kamala Harris can cast the tie-breaking vote for Democrats to confirm Biden’s eventual nominee to the Supreme Court.
But Graham made it clear over the weekend that Biden’s pick may get some support from Republicans.
During an appearance on the CBS program “Face the Nation,” Graham made it clear he strongly supports Childs, who is being pushed by South Carolina Democrat Jim Clyburn, who is the House Majority Whip.
“Here’s what I’ll tell him and the nation. I — I can’t think of a better person for President Biden to consider for the Supreme Court than Michelle Childs,” Graham said.
“She has wide support in our state. She’s considered to be a fair-minded, highly gifted jurist. She’s one of the most decent people I’ve ever met. It would be good for the court to have somebody who’s not at Harvard or Yale. She’s a graduate of the University of South Carolina, a public education background,” Graham added.
“She’s been a workers comp judge. She’s highly qualified. She’s a good character. And we’ll see how she does if she’s nominated. But I cannot say anything bad about Michelle Childs. She is an awesome person,” Graham said.
“She will not be treated like Judge Kavanaugh, I promise you, by Republicans,” Graham vowed, referring to how Democrats smeared and attacked then-President Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh in 2018.
“Let’s see how she does at the hearing. But I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I’m a big admirer,” he said.
“I’d like to see the court have — a have a lot more balance, some common sense on it. Everybody doesn’t have to be from Harvard, Yale,” he said. “It’s OK to go to a public university and get your law degree.”
“Put me in the camp of making sure the court and other institutions look like America. You know, we make a real effort as Republicans to recruit women and people of color to make the party look more like America,” he said.
“Affirmative action is picking somebody not as well qualified for past wrongs,” he said. “Michelle Childs is incredibly qualified. There’s no affirmative action component if you pick her. She is highly qualified.”
“I believe there are plenty of qualified African-American women, conservative and liberal, that could go onto the court. So I don’t concede — I don’t see Michelle Childs as an act of affirmative action,” he said.
“I do see putting a black woman on the court, making the court more like America. In the history of our country, we’ve only had five women serve and two African-American men, so let’s make the court more like America,” he said.
“But qualifications have to be the biggest consideration,” he said. “And as to Michelle Childs, I think she’s qualified by every measure.”
Lindsey Graham backs Biden’s pledge to automatically pick a black woman, says it will “make the court look more like America” pic.twitter.com/odpdXKoves
— Jewish Patriot (@MAGAJew2) January 30, 2022
