A source familiar with the process tells Insider that President Joe Biden is expected to pick Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to replace Justice Stephen Breyer.
Jackson will be the first-ever Black woman to serve on the nation's highest court, fulfilling a 2020 campaign promise by Biden. Clarence Thomas is the only other Black justice in the court's 232-year history.
The Supreme Court pick comes roughly a month after the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer. The 83-year-old, a Clinton appointee, has served on the Supreme Court for nearly 28 years and will step down at the end of the current term.
Jackson's background as a public defender made her a favorite among progressives who appreciated her professional diversity experience.
Biden nominated Jackson for a seat on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit a year ago. She was on the DC federal district court for seven years.
The judge was born in Washington, DC and grew up in Miami, Florida. She worked as an editor on the Harvard Law Review after graduating from Harvard.
Her career began with a number of federal clerkships, including one with Breyer on the Supreme Court. Jackson has experience in the legal industry, private practice, and the US Sentencing Commission.
Jackson will not change the court's 6-3 conservative majority if he is confirmed, but Senate Democrats plan to move quickly to confirm him.
Biden vowed to change the makeup of the federal judiciary after it was revealed that President Donald Trump's judicial appointees were overwhelmingly white. The most diverse set of judges in history has been nominated by Biden. According to the Alliance for Justice, 75% of his nominees are women. Biden made a number of firsts, including appointing the first Muslim American federal district judge and the first openly LGBTQ woman on a federal appeals court.
There is a developing story. You can check back for updates.
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