Vice President Harris Interviewed Supreme Court Nominee Finalists, Report Says
Vice President Kamala Harris played a role in selecting the administration’s historic U.S. Supreme Court nominee.
She interviewed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who would become the first Black woman justice on the high court if confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and the two other final candidates, CNN reports, citing an anonymous White House official.
On Friday (Feb. 25), President Joe Biden announced at a White House ceremony that he nominated Jackson. In his remarks, Biden said he was “fortunate” to have Harris’ input in the nomination process.
She spoke individually with each of the finalists on video conference calls. But it was unclear, if she talked with them before or after Biden conducted his own candidate interviews. Biden reportedly sat down with Jackson on Feb. 14.
Harris, who herself made history as the first woman and the first woman of color to serve as vice president, also spoke with U.S. senators to help pave the way for Jackson’s confirmation.
As USA Today has reported, the Senate’s political landscape is complicated. The White House has faced challenges in uniting Democrats behind his agenda. Even though his party controls the chamber, conservative-leaning Democrats, Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., have blocked voting rights legislation. With the Senate evenly split, Harris may have to cast a vote to break a 50-50 tie in the polarized chamber.
The next steps in the confirmation process involve the Senate Judiciary Committee vetting Jackson and holding a confirmation hearing before making a recommendation to the full Senate, which makes the final decision.
Sen. Dick Durbin, the Illinois Democrat who chairs the Judiciary Committee, said Sunday (Feb. 26) on CNN’s State of the Union that the committee has begun work on Jackson’s nomination.
"We have prepared the traditional Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire, forwarded to the White House and waiting for their reply, which we think will be done very shortly,” Durbin stated. “We will then give an opportunity to members of the committee and other senators to meet with the nominee and schedule a hearing in practical time as soon as possible."
Durbin added that he has contacted his Senate Republican colleagues and urged them “to keep an open mind and to meet with her, ask the hard questions, ask for materials we'll provide them.”
