Joe Biden made it clear on Sunday that he will refrain from unveiling a list of possible Supreme Court nominees before the Nov. election. This comment comes amid mounting pressure over the vacancy left after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing on Friday.
Bent on nominating a Black woman to the bench, the Democratic presidential nominee has made no progress or gone any further publicly towards fulfilling his commitment. Donald Trump, on the other hand, vowed a woman shortly after Ginsburg’s death and has already named over 20 potential nominees.
During his Philadelphia visit, the former vice president revealed three reasons explaining why he will not release his roster, despite growing pressure from the Republicans to do so. He began by saying that putting a judge's name on a list like that is likely to influence the decisions the person makes as a judge, adding that would be wrong.
Aside from that, Biden explained that anyone put on the list under these circumstances will be subject to unrelenting political attacks because the nominee he would select will not get a hearing until next year at the earliest.
Biden said his nominee will be attacked for several months on errands and will not be able to defend herself. Revealing the third reason, Biden said if he wins, he will make his choice for the Supreme Court based on what prior presidents have done, meaning, he would first consult Democrats and Republicans in the United States Senate, and seek their advice and ask for their consent, rather than make his choice based on a partisan election campaign, CBN Local reported.
Prior to Ginsburg’s passing last week, Biden said he wasn't planning to take the wraps off his list of possible nominees before the impending election. In his comments in Philadelphia, the former veep reiterated that if he wins and gets an opportunity to appoint someone to the high court, he would nominate a Black woman, a history-making move.
Furthermore, Biden said if Trump gets to nominate Ginsburg’s replacement before the election, but ends up losing reelection, the president's nomination should be withdrawn, and he should be given the chance to nominate a person to fill the vacancy. If Trump wins reelection, Biden said his nomination should be eligible for a fair hearing on the Senate floor.
Biden noted that voters have already begun casting their votes in the millions, adding that the nation will soon find out who the voters have chosen as the next president. The US Constitution was designed to give voters one chance to have their voice heard on who serves on the court, he added.