FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Pablo Willis, pwillis@acslaw.org
Washington, DC — Today, the American Constitution Society released the following statement on President Biden's commitment to nominating the first Black woman to the Supreme Court of the United States.
ACS applauds President Biden for reaffirming his commitment to nominating a Black woman to fill Justice Breyer’s seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has never represented the diversity of the American people. For most of our history, it was uniformly white and male. To our collective detriment, there has never been a Black woman justice on the Supreme Court, and ACS looks forward to this changing soon.
There are many exceptionally qualified Black women lawyers —both within and outside of the federal judiciary. This includes the Black women being discussed in the press as potential nominees, all of whom are without doubt qualified to serve on the Supreme Court and would make excellent justices.
ACS is appalled by the racist remarks being made about President Biden’s commitment to nominating a Black woman and about potential nominees. Such racist attacks are repugnant and serve only to underscore the systemic racism and oppression that Black women have consistently faced in this country. These attacks further highlight how unrepresentative our highest court has been and why it is imperative that we prioritize diversity on our courts.
Justices inevitably bring their life experience to their deliberations on the Court. In order for the Court to truly understand and address the needs of the American people, it is imperative to have its members reflect the diversity of the American public and a variety of lived experiences.
ACS looks forward to the first Black woman justice on the Supreme Court and is committed to further diversifying our federal courts moving forward.
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AMERICAN CONSTITUTION SOCIETY
ACS believes that the Constitution is “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” We interpret the Constitution based on its text and against the backdrop of history and lived experience. Through a diverse nationwide network of progressive lawyers, law students, judges, scholars, and many others, we work to uphold the Constitution in the 21st Century by ensuring that law is a force for protecting our democracy and the public interest and for improving people’s lives. For more information, visit us at www.acslaw.org or on Twitter @acslaw.
