Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
(Picture: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)President Joe Biden is set to nominate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, according to US media.
If approved, this would make her the first black woman to serve in the country’s top court throughout its 233-year history.
She would replace liberal justice Stephen Breyer, who is retiring when the court goes into recess in June.
Ms Jackson, 51, currently serves on the influential US Court of Appeals for the DC circuit.
With the Senate split 50-50 between parties, the Democrats can confirm Ms Jackson’s nomination if backed by everyone.
Vice President Kamala Harris will get the deciding vote.
The appointment would not change the court’s current conservative majority of 6-3.
As the top court in the US, the Supreme Court gets the final word on contentious laws and constitutional issues, as well as state and federal government disputes.
Ms Jackson has two degrees from Harvard University.
Mr Biden pledged to nominate an African American woman to the top court two years ago as part of his Democratic presidential nomination.
“I’m looking forward to making sure there’s a black woman on the Supreme Court, to make sure we, in fact, get every representation,” he said at the time.
Last month, he called the nomination of a black woman “long overdue”.
Black women make up about three per cent of the federal judiciary, according to data from the Federal Judicial Center, the court system’s research arm.
