
The Most Unlikely People Being Proposed to Replace SCOTUS Justice Breyer
News of liberal Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer’s impending retirement set off a flurry of commentary about who would replace him – some suggestions more serious than others.
SO WHAT
The high-stakes fight over the next Supreme Court justice is off to an awesome start.
WHAT HAPPENED
On Wednesday, multiple news outlets reported that Breyer would this week announce he was retiring at the end of his term.
- The White House responded the same day by affirming President Joe Biden’s commitment to honoring the campaign pledge he made to nominate a black woman to the nation’s highest court.
- Democrats celebrated the news, seeing it as an opportunity for Biden to provide a jolt of positivity to a floundering presidency, achieve a race and gender milestone and to establish a more permanent bulwark against the court’s 6-3 majority.
- A consensus swiftly formed around the list of black female judges Biden was likely to pick: Ketanji Brown Jackson, who serves on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, and Leondra Kruger, a California Supreme Court justice, have emerged as two frontrunners.
THE NOMINEES
While Jackson and Kruger represented the more sober-minded proposals being put forth, other names floated by commenters seemed markedly more unlikely.
1. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.
Matt Gaetz would make a great replacement for Stephen Breyer.
— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) January 26, 2022
2. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
A proud woman of color for SCOTUS, you say pic.twitter.com/S87qTAGvyO
— Tiana Lowe (@TianaTheFirst) January 26, 2022
3. Vice President Kamala Harris
Fox News is floating Kamala Harris for the SCOTUS seat, just amazing stuff. pic.twitter.com/QLNA1tJlzF
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) January 26, 2022
Breyer on Thursday officially announced his retirement in a letter to the president.