When President Biden and his advisers began planning for a possible Supreme Court vacancy during the presidential transition, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was named one of the most likely candidates.
Biden’s decision on Friday to select her as his first choice made it clear she never left the top of the list.
Plans to bring her to the position began last year when Mr. Biden upgraded her from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to the powerful U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which is a support team for would-be judges. It was an early test of her appeal to Republican senators in a equally divided Senate. She enlisted the support of three.
When justice Steven J. Breuer, A senior member of the court’s three-member liberal wing announced last month that he was resigning, White House officials began scrutinizing at least four other lawyers who could fulfill his campaign promise to bring the first black woman to court. But according to several people familiar with the process and not authorized to speak about it publicly, the prevailing view was that Judge Jackson was the most logical choice.
As Mr. Biden continued to reflect this week, concern grew among White House allies that waiting for his self-imposed deadline to expire at the end of the month would deprive the historic nominee of her due, trapping her between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Mr. -on Biden to the US Congress. And Congressional Democrats are concerned that the delay in the announcement raises the risk that a candidate may not be confirmed before a scheduled two-week break in early April.
White House officials dismissed the idea that Judge Jackson was always the favorite, and according to a person who worked with the other candidate, officials from the White House Counsel made additional calls to two other potential candidates – Leondra R. Krueger Supreme Court of California and Judge J. Michelle ChildsJudge of the Federal District Court in South Carolina – at least until Wednesday evening.
By Thursday, Mr. Biden had made his decision. On Thursday night, he called Judge Jackson to propose to her, and she accepted.
Judge Jackson’s ability to garner Republican votes made her an attractive presidential candidate, but his advisers said he wanted to pick someone who would fit the mold of the judge she would replace. Judge Jackson is Breyer’s former clerk, and he has been an active supporter of her throughout her career.
Several White House officials, including Ron Klein, Chief of Staff, and Dana Remus, White House Counsel, have extensive court experience and helped make the final decision.