Lindsey Graham said on Sunday that the Supreme Court would look more like America if President Joe Biden nominated the first black woman to the court.
During an interview on CBS's "Face the Nation", the South Carolina Republican said he was in favor of qualified minority candidates being considered to replace Justice Stephen Breyer, who will step down from the Supreme Court later this year.
The senator said to put him in the camp of making sure the court and other institutions look like America. Affirmative action is picking someone who isn't qualified for past wrongs.
The White House rebuked Roger Wicker after he said the Black female candidate that Biden nominates would be a beneficiary of affirmative action.
Graham praised Childs, a judge on the US District Court for the District of South Carolina who was nominated by Biden to serve on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and is now being considered to replace Breyer.
The person is incredibly qualified. If you pick her, there is no affirmative action component.
He said that he could not think of a better person for Biden to consider for the Supreme Court. She has a lot of support in our state. She is considered to be a fair-minded, highly gifted judge. She is one of the most decent people I have ever met. It would be great for the court to have someone who isn't a student at Harvard or Yale.
Graham believed that there were other Black women who could serve on the high court.
Ronald Reagan wanted to put the first female on the court. Whether you like it or not, Joe Biden said he would pick an African American woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
The White House confirmed last week that Childs was being considered for the seat.
Childs has a wealth of expertise in labor and employment law and would be a good fit for the court, according to Graham.
He said that he doesn't see Childs as an act of affirmative action. In the history of our country, we have only had five women serve and two African-American men.
Senate Democrats want to move the nomination through the upper chamber quickly, as Biden is set to announce his pick by the end of February.