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Biden names US Supreme Court pick

US President Joe Biden is to nominate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the country’s Supreme Court.

If confirmed by the Senate, she would be the first black woman to serve on the US’s highest court. She would replace Justice Stephen Breyer, who is due to retire in June.

Currently a judge on US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, a White House statement described Judge Jackson is “one of the nation’s brightest legal minds”. 

Senate divided 50-50

She has broad experience across the US legal profession – as a federal appellate judge, a federal district court judge, a member of the US Sentencing Commission, an attorney in private practice, and as a federal public defender.

With the Senate currently divided 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, Biden would have just enough votes to confirm his choice if all Democrats backed her, as vice-president Kamala Harris has the deciding vote.