Black women lawmakers commend Biden on commitment for Supreme Court nominee

Over a dozen Black women lawmakers penned a letter to President Biden on Thursday, commending him for his commitment to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court but asked that “the nominee reflect a deep and abiding commitment to adjudicate with moral and legal clarity.”

In their letter to Biden, the lawmakers said that nominating a Black woman to the country’s highest court was not “mere symbolism,” but “an essential step for our country’s promise of justice for all.”

The lawmakers urged, however, that the candidate chosen will have shown a track record of pushing for civil and constitutional rights. 

“It is therefore of utmost importance that the Administration appoints a Black woman with a strong track record of advancing civil and constitutionally protected rights and whose work has shown dedication to affirming the rights of our country’s most marginalized communities,” the lawmakers wrote.

The letter was signed by Reps. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Shontel Brown (D-Ohio), Nikema Williams (D-Ga.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Sheila Cherfilus McCormick (D-Fla.), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) and Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.).

The letter comes as President Biden weighs potential picks for a Supreme Court nominee to replace outgoing Justice Stephen Breyer. So far, the White House has only publicly confirmed one name under consideration — J. Michelle Childs, a federal district judge in South Carolina, though the administration noted she is among several contenders.

Other names reportedly under consideration include California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger and Ketanji Brown Jackson, who serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Bush, in an interview with Punchbowl News published on Wednesday, declined to name who she wanted to be the nominee, but she underscored that they had to meet certain criteria.

“Getting a Black woman in the seat is necessary, but we want to make sure that it’s a Black woman who’s strong on criminal justice reform, has that type of history, strong on worker protections,” the progressive Democrat told the news outlet. “I don’t have a name. I want the person who has those qualifications to rise to the top.”

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.