Biden to tap Ketanji Brown Jackson for Supreme Court

Sources familiar with the matter said the president called federal appellate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on Thursday night and will announce her acceptance Friday. Jackson, 51, is the first black woman selected for the Supreme Court, and, if confirmed, would also be the first former public defender on it. She is expected to replace Justice Stephen Breyer, 83, who will retire after this term.

Who is Jackson? A Harvard graduate who clerked for Breyer, Jackson served on the U.S. Sentencing Commission before becoming a federal judge in 2013. During a 2012 confirmation hearing, she told senators she wanted to “follow Justice Breyer’s very awesome style of questioning.” The liberal judge’s record includes memorable cases such as ordering former Trump White House counsel Don McGahn to testify before Congress. Jackson was also on a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that ruled against the former president’s request to shield documents from the House subcommittee investigating Jan. 6. Democratic Party leaders promised a swift confirmation process, and hearings could start mid-March.

Dig deeper: Read Esther Eaton and Emily Belz’s report in The Stew about Justice Stephen Breyer’s legacy.