Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) believes that the “identity” of a Supreme Court nominee is “just the starting step” in the nomination process.
During an interview with Yahoo Finance that was published on Monday, Ocasio-Cortez said, “Identity is just the starting step when we are discussing a Supreme Court justice. There is no shortage of incredible, qualified, leading Black female candidates to serve on the Supreme Court.”
“But the question is: what is going to be that nominee’s world view? And what I hope is that what we see is a nominee that is truly rooted in not just public service, but with a protection towards the very rights that frankly have been eroded over the last not just two, three, five years but the last 10 years,” she added.
Watch the video below:
Rep. @AOC (D-NY) on Biden's commitment to nominating the first Black woman to the Supreme Court:
— The Recount (@therecount) January 31, 2022
“Identity is just the starting step … what is going to be that nominee’s worldview?” pic.twitter.com/AmXOws3JUi
Her comments come as President Joe Biden is vowing to make history by nominating a Black woman to the Supreme Court, as IJR reported.
“I will select a nominee worthy of Justice Breyer’s legacy of excellence and decency. While I’ve been studying candidates’ backgrounds and writings, I’ve made no decision except one: The person I will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience, and integrity,” Biden said on Thursday.
He added, “That person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court. It’s long overdue, in my opinion.”
An ABC News/Ipsos poll released on Sunday finds that a majority of Americans, 76%, believe he should contemplate “all possible nominees.”
Additionally, just 23% of Americans want Biden to follow through on his campaign pledge.
The poll noted that the sample size was not large enough to “break out results for Black people,” it found that just one in four, 28%, nonwhite Americans think Biden should only consider a Black woman for the court.
Meanwhile, 46% of Democrats said they approve of his decision, 54% said they want him to consider all potential nominees.