White House won’t say when Biden is interviewing Supreme Court candidates

The White House is refusing to disclose when President Biden is meeting with potential Supreme Court picks, keeping the selection process shrouded in secrecy as Biden’s self-imposed deadline to announce a pick approaches.

White House spokespeople have repeatedly declined to offer details on whether Biden has already met with potential nominees or when he might do so.

Principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Thursday told reporters Biden could conduct interviews for retiring Justice Stephen Breyer’s replacement “as soon as this week,” but offered no further details even as reporters on Air Force One noted the week was almost over.

“I just don’t have anything to share or to confirm or not confirm on this,” Jean-Pierre told reporters traveling with Biden to Ohio.

Press secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday it was “unlikely” she would share when the interviews are complete, and she has dodged questions over the past week seeking details on when Biden might be meeting with candidates.

Biden has pledged he will nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court, and he has said he will do so by the end of February. He has reached out to and met with senators in both parties in recent weeks, but little else is known about the selection process as the White House has been tight-lipped.

There are believed to be three front-runners for the nomination — Ketanji Brown Jackson, Leondra Kruger and J. Michelle Childs — though Biden in an interview last week said he was looking closely at “about four” candidates.

“The president will tell you when there’s a nominee,” Psaki said at the Wednesday briefing. “The good news is March 1st is around the corner. So, you know, we remain on track, and you don’t have too much longer to wait.”