With liberal Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer retiring, as per AP reports, citing sources, President Joe Biden is set to make his first pick for the apex bench. 

Biden, during is campaign for President, had pledged to put a first Black woman to the high court. A shortlist of possible nominations had been circulating in the White House well before the news of Breyer’s retirement broke, CNN reported. And this is a chance, for Biden to make a historic choice. 

Also Read: Is Justice Stephen Breyer liberal or conservative?

What criteria would the President want his pick to fullfill?

The Democrats are holding a narrow minority in the US Senate and President Joe Biden would want his pick to be able to get them at least 50 votes – Vice President Kamala Harris could provide the tie-breaking vote – and get his agendas passed. 

State Republicans are likely to retake the chamber in this year;s midterms and they could easily block Biden’s nominee to the Supreme Court. This means, the President has to rush. 

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It takes approximately two to three months for a Supreme Court nominee to be confirmed, by the Senate, once he/she has been named. 

Taking into consideration the above mentioned conditions, here are a few of Biden’s possible picks:

Washington DC Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown:

Brown certainly leads the list. She was appointed to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia last year and has also served on the federal district court in DC. She clerked for Breyer and holds degrees from Harvard and Harvard Law School. 

Also Read: Who is Ayesha Malik, Pakistan’s first female Supreme Court judge?

California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger:

Kruger became the youngest to be appointed to the California Supreme Court in 2014. She is 45. She was the acting deputy solicitor general in the Obama administration and has worked as a clerk for the late Justice John Paul Stevens. At the Justice Department, she also earned the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service. 

South Carolina US District Court Judge J Michelle Childs:

The South Carolina federal court judge was nominated to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The nomination remains pending. She will be of major aid to the Democrats who seek support in South Carolina. 

Childs is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law. The 55-year-old served as a state court trial judge on the South Carolina Circuit, as the deputy director of the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, and as a commissioner on the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission.