Biden said he had "delved deeply" into four justice candidates

President Joe Biden said on Thursday (10th) that he had "studied in depth" four candidates who might succeed Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, though he declined to name any of them.

President Joe Biden. (Image source: Associated Press)

In an interview on Thursday, Biden said, "I picked 4 people and conducted an in-depth investigation to see if they had a substandard background," CNN reported. ”

The White House said this week that Biden would still pick out a nominee by the deadline he himself set for the end of February, as planned. The president has previously said he plans to nominate an African-American woman to the Supreme Court, which would make new history.

Washington, D.C., Circuit Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger and Southern California District Court Justice J. Michelle Childs are widely considered on the early shortlist.

White House officials have begun reaching out to potential candidates to gather more information about their records. As part of the review process, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reached out to friends and former colleagues of potential candidates.

Biden himself has spent several evenings reviewing some of the cases that potential candidates have worked on in the past.

White House spokesman Jen Psaki said on Tuesday (8th): "He is reviewing the whole process, he is not only looking at personal resumes, but also reviewing cases and related materials, and he takes this process very seriously." ”

The president said in an interview that he was optimistic that his nomination would win the support of Senate Republicans. "I don't want to make ideological choices on this," he said. I'm looking for someone to replace Justice Brehr, and he needs to have the ability to have Justice Brehr, to have an open mind, to understand the Constitution enough. ”

On Thursday night, Biden met with Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss who he should nominate. Earlier Thursday, the White House Office of Counsel instructed Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, to discuss his views on the justice candidate. Mr. Romney said they did not mention specific names, though he expressed his hope that the new justice nominee would have bipartisan support.

Dick Durbin, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he and his Fellow Democrats shared their advice on the nominee with Biden, sending a message of trust in Biden's choice. (End)