Most in new poll support Biden commitment to name Black woman to Supreme Court

Most of the voters surveyed in a poll released Wednesday support President Biden’s plan to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court, with an overwhelming majority of Democrats backing the decision.

The Morning Consult/Politico poll found that 51 percent of respondents said they support Biden’s commitment to nominate the first Black woman to be a Supreme Court justice. Another 23 percent said they had no opinion and 28 percent said they opposed the plan to some degree.

More than 8 in 10 Democrats — 82 percent — support Biden’s decision, compared to 47 percent of independents and just 19 percent of Republicans, according to the survey.

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced his plans to retire late last month, clearing the way for Biden to follow through on a campaign promise to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court.

When asked in the new survey how they felt about Biden’s vow, however, 49 percent said they felt confident about it while 50 percent said they did not.

Almost half — 48 percent — also said it is unimportant that Biden choose a Black female judge while 38 percent said it is important.

Biden’s plans to nominate a Black woman have elicited a divisive response from GOP lawmakers, with Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) claiming that it is akin to affirmative action. However, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said this week that he felt “several” Republican senators are open to confirming Breyer’s successor.

The new Morning Consult/Politico poll was conducted Jan. 28-30 with a sample size of 2,005 registered voters. The results of the survey have a margin of error of 2 percentage points.

— Updated at 8:38 a.m.