US News Top National Stories and Latest Headlines
US News Top National Stories
In today’s US News Top national stories and latest headlines, a college student dies in an unknown vehicle after a Mardi Gras party. A Kentucky police officer who shot and killed a young college student is on trial for opening fire into his neighbor’s apartment after a botched raid and one too many drinks. In another breaking story, an Oklahoma congressional candidate throws up in a laundry hamper and is under investigation for child sex trafficking.
At a White House ceremony, Biden formally announced Jackson, a current judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, as his replacement for retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. She previously clerked for Breyer and will also be the first former federal public defender on the high court.
Jackson was one of three contenders on Biden’s Supreme Court shortlist along with U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs and California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger. Democrats will now kick off the confirmation process with the lofty goal of wrapping it up by mid-April.
US News Top National Stories and Latest Headlines
“For too long, our government, our courts haven’t looked like America. I believe it’s time that we have a court that reflects the full talents and greatness of our nation with a nominee of extraordinary qualifications,” Biden said, adding that like her potential predecessor and former boss, Breyer, she “has a pragmatic understanding that the law must work for the American people.”
After some Republicans openly pushed for another Supreme Court nominee, Biden emphasized that Jackson was confirmed by the Senate three times for past roles, including her current seat on the D.C. Circuit as well as for the U.S. Sentencing Commission. He made a few mentions of praise she received from a Republican official in her Florida hometown as well as from the Fraternal Order of Police, since some of her family members worked in law enforcement.
Both Biden and Jackson highlighted the significance of the moment: She could become the first Black woman on the Supreme Court in its 232-year history. She ended her remarks on Friday noting that she shares the same birthday – 49 years apart – from Constance Baker Motley, the first Black woman appointed to serve as a federal judge.
“Today, I proudly stand on Judge Motley’s shoulders, sharing not only her birthday but also her steadfast and courageous commitment to equal justice under law,” Jackson said.