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Sen. Sherrod Brown predicts Joe Biden will pick a ‘centrist’ to replace Justice Stephen Breyer

January 26, 2022

WASHINGTON, D. C. - U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown on Wednesday predicted President Joe Biden will pick "a mainstream respected jurist" to replace liberal U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who is expected to announce his retirement imminently.

Brown, an Ohio Democrat who chairs the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, said the nominees for Federal Reserve posts whose confirmation hearings he's supervised have been diverse and "very, very qualified." He anticipates Biden will take the same approach to picking a new U.S. Supreme Court Justice, and predicted it won't be difficult to confirm his nominee.

"I think there will be some Republican ‘yesses,' and I think there will be overwhelming Democratic support because I think we'll all be proud of the person he nominates," said Brown.



A statement from U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican, said Breyer served the country honorably and thanked him for his service to the nation.

"While I did not agree with most of his opinions or votes, I respect the way he stood up for the Court and the constitutional separation of powers," Portman said. "In particular, I believe his public resistance to attempts by some Democrats to pack the Court helped preserve the original intent of the Founders to keep the Court independent of politics. For that the nation owes him a debt of gratitude. I look forward to evaluating President Biden's nominee and assessing his or her qualifications for this important role."

Brown applauded Breyer's record on the court.

"He didn't get as much attention as the others did because he's not flashy," said Brown. "He didn't go around making speeches ... I knew him a little bit. I had dinner with him in a small group one night and I was just impressed with his intellect. I'm not a lawyer. I don't pretend to have anything close to the gravitas on legal issues that they do, but I heard almost no criticism about his making decisions, how he did them, why he came down on the side of an issue that he did. So, we will miss him, a good Supreme Court Justice. I'm hopeful the President appoints somebody similar to him in that way."

During the 2020 campaign, Biden pledged that, if he was elected, he would nominate the first Black woman to the nation's highest court. In response to Wednesday's reports that Breyer will retire, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said that Biden's nominee would, "receive a prompt hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee, and will be considered and confirmed by the full United States Senate with all deliberate speed."

Congressional Black Caucus Chair Joyce Beatty, a Columbus Democrat, released a statement that expressed confidence that Biden will fulfill his promise to select a Black woman for the opening.



"We know that when America's boardrooms, legislatures, and even the Supreme Court start to resemble America, we all benefit," said Beatty. "I will continue to push in my capacity as a Member of Congress and Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus to ensure that the President upholds his promise to the American people and that the Senate confirms a Black woman to the Supreme Court without any unnecessary delay."

A Twitter statement from U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown, a Warrensville Heights Democrat, agreed with Beatty.

"I am grateful for Justice Breyer's years of distinguished service on the Supreme Court,," said Brown, who is a Congressional Black Caucus member. "In light of his retirement, I fully support @POTUS's commitment to nominating the first Black woman to the Supreme Court. It's time."


This article was originally published by Cleveland.com on January 26, 2022