United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced today that he will resign his seat on the Court at the end of the term and Republicans are already accusing the White House of plotting to plant a radical progressive on the bench.
Asked about the ridiculousness during today’s press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki shot back with some hard truth for the GOP.
Related: Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch defies Chief Justice Roberts’ request to wear a mask
Biden has said he will uphold a campaign promise to nominate a Black woman to sit on the Court for the first time. Republicans are already accusing him of nominating a radical before he has even picked anyone.
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Psaki called them out at the White House press briefing today.
“We should also be clear about some of the games that we’re already seeing indication of out there,” Psaki told reporters. “We have not put out a single name. We have not put out a list. The president made very clear that he has not made a selection.”
“If anyone is saying they plan to characterize whoever he nominates… as radical before they literally know anything about who she is, they just obliterated their own credibility.”
“Our intention is to not play games,” she said.
There is no shortage of Republicans denouncing the non-existent Supreme Court pick.
“We know Joe Biden – who does not have a single vote to spare in the Senate – will nominate an activist judge who will rubber stamp the far-left’s political agenda,” RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel tweeted earlier today. “This type of judge is a threat to Americans’ constitutional rights including religious liberty, the Second Amendment, the right to life, and free speech.”
“The RNC will do everything in our power to expose Biden’s Supreme Court nominee and hold Senate Democrats accountable in November for their votes.”
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) has also attempted to insert herself into the selection process with her normal intellectual heft, using Biden’s promise as a jumping off point.
“Biden boxed himself in by promising to pick a VP based solely on sex and race. Kamala is incompetent,” she tweeted. “In 2020 he promised to ‘appoint the first black woman’ to SCOTUS. The stability of our institutions CANNOT be solely dependent on sex & race. Biden’s pandering is pathetic.”
The Republican rumor mill has gone into overdrive as pundits and activists insinuate that Biden will choose Vice President Kamala Harris for the seat. Yesterday, Psaki shot down Fox reporter Peter Doocey’s insinuation that Biden would select Harris. The room erupted into laughter when she poked Doocey for his ridiculousness and continued with the briefing.
At 83, Breyer is the oldest justice on the Court. He assumed that title when fellow liberal Ruth Bader Ginsburg died just before the election in 2020. (Her death allowed Donald Trump to push through Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination.) Appointed by Bill Clinton, Breyer has been on the bench for 27 years.
Breyer’s retirement means that Biden will have an opportunity merely to preserve the minority that liberals have on the Court, instead of further eroding it. Right now, Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan are the only three members of the Court who consistently support LGBTQ rights and other liberal issues.
Psaki: We should also be clear about some of the games that we’re already seeing indications of… If anyone is saying they plan to characterize whoever he nominates… as radical before they know anything about who she is, they just obliterated their own credibility pic.twitter.com/qsEdpncmLI
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 27, 2022
This type of judge is a threat to Americans’ constitutional rights including religious liberty, the Second Amendment, the right to life, and free speech. (2/3)
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) January 27, 2022
Biden boxed himself in by promising to pick a VP based solely on sex and race. Kamala is incompetent.
In 2020 he promised to “appoint the first black woman” to SCOTUS.
The stability of our institutions CANNOT be solely dependent on sex & race. Biden’s pandering is pathetic.
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) January 26, 2022
