Biden confirms intention to pick Black woman for Breyer’s supreme court seat – live | US news

Vice-President Kamala Harris is expected to play a “central role” as Joe Biden selects his nominee to replace Stephen Breyer on the supreme court, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

A reporter at the daily White House briefing asked Psaki which members of the Biden administration will be closely involved in the search for a supreme court nominee.

“The vice-president will play a central role in this process, and the President intends to consult with her very closely,” Psaki replied.

“Obviously, she has a long history as a former attorney general, as a member of the judiciary committee, and he respects her opinion greatly.”

The press secretary noted that White House chief of staff Ron Klain and some of Biden’s senior advisers, including Cedric Richmond, will also be involved in the process.

Harris had been mentioned as a potential choice for Biden’s nominee, but the White House has downplayed that possibility, saying the president and the vice-president look forward to running for reelection together in 2024.

Russia remains open but ‘not optimistic’ over Ukraine talks

The White House has said it will have a read out later this afternoon after US President Joe Biden is expected to speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The call is being described by the White House as a ‘check in’ rather than about a specific announcement.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Rankin in Brussels and Julian Borger in Washington DC have the latest news wrap on the diplomacy.

They report: ‘Russia has said it is willing to continue talks with the US over European security, but is not optimistic about their prospects after Washington and Nato allies again rejected a key part of Russia’s proposed new order for post-cold war security.

Tensions have soared in recent weeks as Russia massed more than 100,000 soldiers and heavy weapons at its border with Ukraine, raising fears of an invasion.

On Thursday, Vladimir Putin’s chief spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said “there isn’t much reason to be optimistic” after the US and Nato rejected Moscow’s demands for a veto on Ukraine’s potential membership of Nato in a co-ordinated response the day before.’

Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said Moscow’s main concern – the potential for Ukraine to join Nato – had not been addressed, but there was hope “for the start of a serious conversation on secondary issues”.’

Here’s where the day stands so far:

• Supreme court Justice Stephen Breyer confirmed he will retire after more than 27 years on the bench. In a letter to Joe Biden, Breyer said he will officially step down when the court adjourns for its summer recess in late June or early July. Breyer’s departure will give Biden his first supreme court seat to fill.
• Biden reiterated his commitment to nominating a Black woman to the court, which will mark a historic first for the US. Appearing at the White House alongside Breyer, Biden said, “I‘ve made no decision except one. The person I will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity, and that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States supreme court.”
• Meanwhile, Biden is expected to speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy this afternoon. The conversation comes one day after the US delivered its written response to Russia’s demands on Ukraine, as Vladimir Putin eyes a potential invasion of the neighboring country. In its response, the White House made clear that it still supports Ukraine’s right to pursue Nato membership.

The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.

Officially announcing his retirement from the supreme court, Stephen Breyer emphasized the importance of following the principles of the US Constitution to ensure the health of American democracy.

Holding up his pocket Constitution, Breyer said he often gives lectures to students about the court, and he expressed optimism about America’s future, despite the current divisions in the country.

“Of course people don’t agree. But we have a country that is based on human rights, democracy and so forth,” Breyer said. “I’ll tell you what Lincoln thought and Washington thought and what people today still think: it’s an experiment.”

Breyer noted that his wife, Joanna, paid each of their grandchildren to memorize Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address to help them understand the value of this “experiment”.

“We are now engaged in a great civil war to determine whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure,” Breyer said.

“My grandchildren and their children, they’ll determine whether the experiment still works. And of course, I am an optimist, and I’m pretty sure it will.”

Joe Biden said this was a “bittersweet” day for him, as Justice Stephen Breyer announces his retirement from the supreme court after more than 27 years of service.

The president noted that he oversaw Breyer’s confirmation process in 1994, as Biden was chairman of the Senate judiciary committee when President Bill Clinton nominated Breyer for his post.

“I think he’s a model public servant, in a time of great division in this country,” Biden said. “Justice Breyer has been everything his country could have asked him.”

Joe Biden applauded Justice Stephen Breyer’s work on the supreme court over the past 27 years, and he pledged to nominate someone who would follow in his footsteps.

The president also reiterated his commitment to nominating a Black woman to the supreme court, which will mark a historic first for the US.

“I‘ve made no decision except one,” Biden said of his chosen nominee. “The person I will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity, and that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States supreme court.”

Biden said it was “long overdue” to have a Black woman on the high court, adding, “I made that commitment during the campaign for president, and I will keep that commitment.”

While he has not yet chosen his nominee, Biden said he will review candidates’ qualifications and make a decision “before the end of February”.

Joe Biden and Stephen Breyer have now appeared in the White House’s Roosevelt Room to address the supreme court justice’s retirement.

The president kicked off the president by recounting Breyer’s decades of service with the court, thanking him for his devotion to upholding the Constitution.

“I’m here today to express the nation’s gratitude to Justice Stephen Breyer for his remarkable career of public service and his clear-eyed commitment to making our country’s laws work for its people,” Biden said.

The letter from Stephen Breyer to Joe Biden was dated today, although news of the supreme court justice’s retirement leaked out yesterday.

“I enormously appreciate the privilege of serving as part of the federal judicial system – nearly 14 years as a Court of Appeals Judge and nearly 28 years as a Member of the Supreme Court,” Breyer wrote in the letter.

“I have found the work challenging and meaningful. My relations with each of my colleagues have been warm and friendly. Throughout, I’ve been aware of the great honor of participating as a judge in the effort to maintain our Constitution and the rule of law.”

Justice Stephen Breyer has confirmed that he will retire from the supreme court, after serving on the bench for more than 27 years.

Breyer made the news official in a letter to Joe Biden, in which the liberal justice said he will step down once the court adjourns for its summer recess in late June or early July.

News of Breyer’s retirement broke yesterday, but neither he nor the White House would confirm his plans until today.

Breyer’s retirement gives Biden his first supreme court vacancy, and the president has promised to nominate a Black woman for the seat, which would mark a historic first for the US.

Biden has not yet announced his nominee. With Democrats in control of the Senate, which oversees supreme court nominations, Biden’s nominee is expected to be confirmed relatively easily.

Biden and Breyer are scheduled to appear together at the White House at any moment, so stay tuned.

Dick Durbin, the chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, said he spoke to White House chief of staff Ron Klain yesterday morning about Stephen Breyer’s retirement.

According to Durbin, Klain said the White House does not yet have a nominee for Breyer’s replacement, although the administration is “in the process” of selecting the person.

“It’s little early to predict a timetable for this hearing,” Durbin said, per CNN.

House majority whip Jim Clyburn suggested that South Carolina judge Michelle Childs could potentially attract some Republican support if she were nominated to replace Stephen Breyer on the supreme court.

“We have two Republican senators from South Carolina. Both of them know Michelle Childs very well, and both of them have spoken highly of her. And the Republicans all over this state think that she is an outstanding jurist,” Clyburn said during a Washington Post live event.

Clyburn added that Childs’ professional experience and background are unrivaled, saying, “I think that Republicans appreciate that as much as Democrats.”

Clyburn, whose endorsement was crucial for Biden in the South Carolina primary during the 2020 election, has been saying for at least a year that Childs would make an excellent addition to the court.