CNN New Day co-host Brianna Keilar claimed on Friday that being a Black woman has been “disqualifying” for a Supreme Court nominee until now.
The White House announced on Friday that President Joe Biden would nominate U.S. Circuit Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to succeed retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. If confirmed, Jackson would be the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. This would also fulfill Biden’s campaign promise to make such a selection were there to be a vacancy on the nation’s highest court.
However, Jackson would not be the first Black justice on the Supreme Court. The late Thurgood Marshall was the first such justice. Clarence Thomas became the second in 1991 and remains on the court.
Ahead of Biden officially announcing his pick, Keilar called the upcoming nomination “a very big deal.”
“Assuming she is confirmed, she’ll be the first African American female justice on the Supreme Court, which, look, maybe not officially, but at least in practice, has been disqualifying when it comes to nominees up until now, Abby,” Keilar told CNN anchor and senior political correspondent Abby Phillip.
In a tweet, Biden praised Jackson.
“I’m proud to announce that I am nominating Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the Supreme Court. Currently serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, she is one of our nation’s brightest legal minds and will be an exceptional Justice,” he tweeted.
Watch above, via CNN.