By Kendyl Brower
65% male and 72% white: the current demographic of federal judges does not align with the demographics of the country, our prized salad bowl of various races and cultures. In the Supreme Court alone, all but 6 of the 113 justices have been white males. But as Stephen Breyer retires his robe, President Biden promises to nominate a Black woman to serve on the court. Currently, the front-runners include Judge Kentanji Jackson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C., Leondra Kruger on the California Supreme Court, and Judge J. Michelle Childs on the South Carolina U.S. District Court. However, Biden’s decision to choose a Black woman is not met without backlash: an ABC News poll finds that 76% of Americans want Biden to consider all possible nominees regardless of race or gender. Biden assures these concerned citizens that there are a plethora of qualified black women for the job—he will honor his word without compromising quality. Democrats hope that the nomination will boost midterm elections in their favor, as control of the house barely tips toward Democrats, and the Senate is split 50-50. Contrastingly, Republicans may use the appointment to attack Biden’s liberal policies and fire up GOP voters against a “narrow” selection of nominees. Regardless, the appointment of any new justice will impact US law for decades to come.