Stephen Breyer has recently announced that he will be retiring from the Supreme Court after almost 28 years. Stephen was a major part of the Court. He helped make many important decisions during his term. With his retirement, this leaves a space for President Biden to make his first appointment.
During his campaign, Biden promised that he would appoint an African American woman to the Supreme Court. This will be monumental for our country because there has never been an African American woman on the court before. Doing so will be very important, especially now, because it offers more perspectives as well as adds diversity to the court. The Supreme Court currently has a 6-3 ratio with a conservative majority. With Stephen (a liberal) retiring, Biden’s appointment will not change this ratio.
To be eligible to serve in the Supreme Court, a person must have practiced law for at least 10 years. They should represent the diversity of the population and have a variety of abilities, interests, and opinions. They are also evaluated by their character, knowledge, decision-making skills, common sense, work ethic, and more.
With these qualifications in mind, there are already a few justices that people think may be appointed to the Court.
Kentanji Brown Jackson
Source: AbovetheLaw.com
Probably the most popular pick is Kentanji Brown Jackson. She is currently a judge on the United States Circuit, as of June 2021. Before she became a judge there, she served as a US District Judge from 2013 to 2021. She served as a Vice Chair and Commissioner on the US Sentencing Commission for four years. She also had many other law-related jobs before this as well. Judge Jackson even served as a law clerk for three federal judges, including Stephen Breyer. She is a graduate of Harvard University, where she received a J.D. cum laude and served as a supervising editor of the Harvard Law Review, one of the most prestigious law reviews in the country. At 51 years old, Jackson has decades of service ahead of her.
Leondra Kruger
Image Source: New York Times
Another potential nominee is Leondra Kruger. Kruger is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California. If she is nominated, she will be the youngest ever Supreme Court Justice. She is a graduate of Harvard, where she had many honors. She received her J.D. from Yale Law where she was the Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Law Journal. After graduating, she served as a law clerk to two judges. She has also worked in many other law-related jobs, including as an Assistant to the Solicitor General and as Acting Deputy Solicitor General. She taught as a visiting assistant professor at the University of Chicago Law School. In 2013 and 2014, she received the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service, which is the Department’s highest award for employee performance.
J. Michelle Childs
Image Source: Law.com
J. Michelle Childs is currently a US District Judge for the District of South Carolina. She graduated from the University of Florida and then went on to attend the University of South Carolina School of Law, both of which she won full scholarships for. Her education is different from many other nominees as they traditionally have Ivy League backgrounds. After graduating, she became the first Black woman to be a partner in a major law firm in the state, an amazing achievement. She eventually left the firm and took high-ranking jobs at South Carolina’s Department of Labor and after that, the Workers’ Compensation Commission. In 2010, she was unanimously confirmed as a federal judge by the U.S. Senate. She strongly believes that the law is living and that it will affect people’s lives and rights.
Overall, any of these Justices seem like they will be able to equitably serve on the Supreme Court and make a valuable impact on our justice system.