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Darren Samuelsohn

15 Mar, 11 tweets, 4 min read

@rbravender

NEW: Legal insiders are buzzing about Ketanji Brown Jackson's chances of becoming Biden's first Supreme Court nominee - by the triple-reporting threat of @rbravender @cdechalus & @cryanbarber ($) @thisisinsider businessinsider.com/judge-ketanji-…

The legal world is abuzz over Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and her potential for soon becoming the first Black woman on the US Supreme Court.

The 50-year-old judge is reportedly the frontrunner to be President Joe Biden's pick to replace Attorney General Merrick Garland on a powerful appeals court that's long been a launch pad to the Supreme Court.

That's a big deal by itself. But the expected nomination also has legal insiders wagering that Biden's team is situating Jackson to become the first Black woman to serve on the nation's highest court — possibly as early as this year.

"She's the odds-on favorite right now" for both positions, said Jonathan Adler, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University and a former clerk at the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, where Jackson could soon sit if she is indeed Biden's nominee.

Jackson has proven she can appeal to progressives & conservatives — she's on the shortlist of SCOTUS prospects compiled by the liberal group Demand Justice; she was also confirmed unanimously in '13 by Senate Rs as a judge for the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

While there are no SCOTUS vacancies, some Democrats are hoping to change that. Still reeling from RBG, they are openly calling for Justice Stephen Breyer — a Clinton nominee and the oldest justice on the court at age 82 — to retire while Democrats have the Senate majority.

Notably, Jackson is a former Breyer clerk. Biden appointing her to Breyer's seat would allow the White House to pay homage to Breyer's legacy. Supreme Court justices often remain close to their former clerks and take pride in their ascent.

"A lot of judges and justices really feel like their clerks are extended family," Adler said. Suggesting that the White House would replace Breyer with his former clerk Jackson could be "a very powerful incentive" for him to step down, Adler added.

High-profile Republicans have also praised Jackson. Former GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan endorsed her as well during that 2012 confirmation hearing.

Jackson and Ryan are practically family. Jackson's husband and Ryan's brother-in-law are twins.

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