Biden has long been preparing for a Supreme Court pick

FILE - Ketanji Brown Jackson, nominated to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit, testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on pending judicial nominations, April 28, 2021 on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Joe Biden has already narrowed the field for his first U.S. Supreme Court pick. One potential nominee is Jackson, 51. She attended Harvard as an undergraduate and for law school. Obama nominated her to be a federal trial court judge, and Biden elevated her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Early in her career, she was also a law clerk for Breyer. (Tom Williams/Pool via AP, File) FILE - Ketanji Brown Jackson, nominated to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit, testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on pending judicial nominations, April 28, 2021 on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Joe Biden has already narrowed the field for his first U.S. Supreme Court pick. One potential nominee is Jackson, 51. She attended Harvard as an undergraduate and for law school. Obama nominated her to be a federal trial court judge, and Biden elevated her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Early in her career, she was also a law clerk for Breyer. (Tom Williams/Pool via AP, File)

By JESSICA GRESKO and COLLEEN LONG / Associated Press January 27, 2022 6 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden has already narrowed the field for his first Supreme Court pick.

Biden said as a presidential candidate that if he were given the chance to nominate someone to the court, he would make history by choosing a Black woman. And word on Wednesday that Justice Stephen Breyer plans to retire should give Biden that opportunity.

“As president, I’d be honored, honored to appoint the first African American woman. Because it should look like the country. It’s long past time,” Biden said in February 2020 shortly before South Carolina’s presidential primary.

The White House has reiterated Biden’s campaign pledge since his election.

Almost all recent Supreme Court picks have been federal appeals judges. And since Biden took office in January 2021, he has worked to dramatically expand his options in that potential candidate pool by nominating five Black women who are currently sitting on federal appeals courts, with three more nominations pending before the Senate.