In the wake of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement announcement, Joe Biden has nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson to replace him on the high court. Breyer was originally appointed by Bill Clinton (and confirmed) in 1994, and has served nearly 28 years on the bench. 

Biden promised to nominate a black female to replace Breyer, and he has done so by nominating Jackson. Currently, Jackson serves as a federal judge on the court of appeals in the Washington, D.C. Circuit. She is also a member of the Harvard Board of Overseers. 

If she is appointed, she will be the first black woman to ever serve on the Supreme Court. This of course, will be a landmark change in the court. Jackson would be the 6th woman to serve, along with (currently serving) Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Amy Coney Barrett, and Elena Kagan, as well as former members Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O’Connor. 

Jackson will likely be confirmed by the Senate, meaning her appointment will be successful and she will become the newest member on the Supreme Court. After examining several of her decisions, as well as reading articles from WBUR and The New York Times, Jackson seems to be fairly moderate on most issues. She is likely to draw bipartisan support, even from Senate Republicans, a refresher after the two extremely polarizing appointments of Amy Coney Barrett in 2021 and Brett Kavanaugh 2018. 

Additionally, this will likely serve as an impressive achievement for the Biden Administration, as always, appointing and sending a justice to the Supreme Court is always favorable to the administration, as not every president gets the chance to do so. 

The confirmation process will likely be held at the end of the summer, when Stephen Breyer officially steps off the court.