Biden’s supreme court short list narrows to three names

Joe Biden had zeroed in on a pair of finalists for his first supreme court pick when there were rumors last year that Justice Stephen Breyer would retire. But since the upcoming retirement was announced late last month, it has come with the rise of a third candidate, one with ready-made bipartisan support that has complicated the decision.

For Biden, it's a tantalizing prospect. The president believes he was elected to try to bring the country together following the yawning and rancorous political divide that grew during the Trump administration and especially following the Capitol insurrection in January 2021.

This story is based on accounts from seven people familiar with Biden's decision-making who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity to talk about private discussions.

Two of the three judges now on Biden's short list were evaluated last year by White House aides, although that early vetting did not include deep dives into their opinions or backgrounds, formal interviews or FBI background checks.

They are Ketanji Brown Jackson, 51, a recent appointee to the US court of appeals for the District of Columbia circuit, where she has served since June 2021, and Leondra Kruger, 45, a California supreme court judge since 2015 who would be the first person in more than 40 years to move from a state court to the supreme court if she were to be confirmed.

Jackson is seen as the top candidate. And she, too, has a proven record of bipartisan support: she was confirmed to the appeals court on a 53-44 vote. Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina voted for her.

But J Michelle Childs has rapidly become a serious third candidate after the House majority whip, Jim Clyburn, publicly announced his support for her, as did the state's Republican senators, Graham and Tim Scott. Graham has made clear Childs is his preferred choice.