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The White House is planning a fast, aggressive effort to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court by the end of February and confirm her swiftly thereafter, reflecting the high stakes of the campaign and the pressure to move quickly in today’s polarized environment. Appearing with retiring Justice Stephen G. Breyer at the White House, President Biden on Thursday renewed his pledge to put a Black woman on the high court, saying, “It’s long overdue” and adding, “I will nominate a historic candidate, someone who is worthy of Justice Breyer’s legacy.” (Sullivan, Kim, Barnes and Marimow, 1/27)

Democrats are preparing a mad-dash confirmation for President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court pick, fearful that with an evenly divided Senate, the door to act could close at any moment. ow, they just need Biden to do something he’s historically struggled with: move fast and send them a name. (Cadelago, Barron-Lopez and Levine, 1/27)

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), who famously refused to give the last Democratic Supreme Court nominee a Senate hearing or vote, on Thursday said he’s ready to give President Biden’s pick to the high court “a fair look.”  While some conservatives are already taking shots at Biden for pledging to consider only a Black woman to replace retiring liberal Justice Stephen Breyer, McConnell is keeping his powder dry until the nominee is known. (Bolton, 1/27)

The news that Justice Stephen Breyer is retiring from the Supreme Court galvanized the legal and political worlds this week. With so much riding on every SCOTUS seat, it’s impossible to ignore how big the consequences might be. But what will really change? Breyer is a moderate liberal justice, to be replaced by a moderate liberal president with the assent of a fully Democratic-controlled Congress. The ideological divide on the Supreme Court will surely remain 6-3. So what, if anything, will be different with a new face in Breyer’s place? What could be different? (1/27)

The news that we’ll have a vacancy on the Supreme Court is a little over 24 hours old, but there’s already arguably a favorite: U.S. Appeals Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. In fact, Jackson has the distinction of perhaps having been the favorite before this vacancy ever came up. (Blake, 1/27)

Black women activists, buoyed by news that President Biden will nominate a Black woman to replace retiring Justice Stephen G. Breyer on the Supreme Court, say it’s long overdue and that they are mobilizing to make sure the historic opportunity becomes reality. “I’m excited — and everybody I know is exited,” Melanie Campbell, president of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, said Thursday after Biden stated his commitment at a White House news conference. “Even though we’ve had people who were ready, who had the qualifications and the exceptional resumes, there’s never been a Black woman. It’s well past time, right?” (Williams, 1/27)