We have updated our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use for Eurasia Group and its affiliates, including GZERO Media, to clarify the types of data we collect, how we collect it, how we use data and with whom we share data. By using our website you consent to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy, including the transfer of your personal data to the United States from your country of residence, and our use of cookies described in our Cookie Policy.
{{ subpage.title }}
The history of Black women judges in America
US President Joe Biden says he'll deliver on his campaign pledge to nominate a Black woman to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer.
Good opportunity to review the (short) history of Black women on the bench in America. Ian Bremmer takes a look back on GZERO World.
Jane Brolin became the first state judge in 1939 in New York. But the one who really laid the groundwork for others to follow was Constance Baker Motley, appointed in 1966 as the first federal judge.
Motley inspired many other Black women, including those on Biden's SCOTUS shortlist.
Watch this episode of GZERO World with Ian Bremmer: Black voter suppression in 2022
- Black voter suppression in 2022 - GZERO Media ›
- The Graphic Truth: Black representation in the US Congress ... ›
- Counter narrative: Black Americans, the 1619 Project, and Nikole ... ›
- The history of Black voting rights in America - GZERO Media ›
- Why do Black people feel "erased" from American history? - GZERO ... ›
- SCOTUS confirmation hearings no longer serve a purpose - GZERO Media ›
- Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmed, but GOP will dominate SCOTUS for years - GZERO Media ›
- Pioneering Black American leaders in US foreign policy - GZERO Media ›
Biden’s SCOTUS pick to replace Breyer must appeal to Senate Democrats
What does Stephen Breyer's retirement mean for President Biden? Jon Lieber, head of Eurasia Group's coverage of political and policy developments in Washington, discusses how Biden and the Democrats will likely handle the Supreme Court nomination process.
What does Stephen Breyer's retirement mean for President Biden?
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced retirement this week, giving Biden the opportunity to appoint a new justice and maintain the balance on the court, which is currently divided 6-3, favoring Republican appointees. Whoever Biden nominates is extremely unlikely to get even a single Republican vote, but the nominee is likely to come relatively quickly and be confirmed well before Republicans take the Senate in the November midterm elections.
Biden has already pledged to nominating a Black woman to the court, which significantly narrows the field of potential nominees given the limited number of Black women in the federal judiciary. And further complicating things is the fact he faces political constraints in a 50/50 Senate, meaning that he has to find somebody with relatively moderate views or a very thin record in order to appeal to a small number of Senate Democrats who have attempted to define their own political brands separate from the rest of the party.
The most important of these is Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, the senators from West Virginia and Arizona, who have been major roadblocks this year for President Biden's fiscal agenda and a voting reform bill. There are a handful of red lines on social issues that really matter that could be an issue for Manchin in particular, including on guns and abortion. Biden's record on judicial nominees so far has been very strong with almost all of his judges getting confirmed, even on close party lines and this one's likely to be no different, but the high stakes and high profile of this nomination could end up derailing other parts of the Biden agenda, in particular, Build Back Better fiscal policy if Biden has to spend political capital with Manchin in order to get his nominee confirmed.
- What We're Watching: Chile's new prez, Manchin sinks Biden's ... ›
- Jon Lieber: What's different about the 2022 midterms is 2024 Trump ... ›
- The Graphic Truth: Dem/GOP voters' very different views of Jan 6 ... ›
- Why do Americans get so worked up about abortion? - GZERO Media ›
- SCOTUS confirmation hearings no longer serve a purpose - GZERO Media ›