Durbin defends Biden focus on Black woman as Supreme Court nominee

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Sunday defended President Biden’s promise to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court. 

“This is not the first time that a president has signaled what they are looking for in a nominee,” Durbin said on ABC’s “This Week,” citing commitments from two former presidents, Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump, to appoint a woman to the court ahead of the nominations of Sandra Day O’Connor and Amy Coney Barrett, respectively.

“I would just say the bottom line is this in terms of African American women. If they have achieved the level of success in practice of law and jurisprudence, they’ve done it against great odds. They’re extraordinary people,” the senator said.

“They’re all going to face the same close scrutiny. This is a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land, and I just hope that those who are critical of the president’s selection aren’t doing it for personal reasons,” he added. 

Durbin’s remarks come as an ABC News/Ipsos poll published Sunday showed that 76 percent of Americans want Biden to consider “all possible nominees” while just 23 percent want him to only consider Black women for the role. 

Biden has also faced criticism for his focus from Republicans, including former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who tweeted last week that it “would be nice if Pres Biden chose a Supreme Court nominee who was best qualified without a race/gender litmus test.”

The president, however, has said that he will nominate a Black woman “with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity.”

“It’s long overdue in my view. I made that commitment during the campaign for president, and I will keep that commitment,” he added.