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Wednesday 2 February 2022

Continued from Front overwhelming support from tices in U.S. history, while
He noted that the Consti- both parties. Durbin called there have been 110 men.
tution calls for Senate "ad- their meeting "old home "It is not uncommon for
vice and consent," on a week." a president of the United
nominee, and he said, "I'm Senate confirmation of States in filling a Supreme
serious when I say I want Biden's nominee is far from Court vacancy to an-
the advice of the Senate as assured, as advocates push nounce in advance what
well as the consent." him to nominate a strong type of person he wants,"
As Biden mulls a replace- liberal and some Senate Durbin said Monday.
ment for Breyer — a Black Republicans criticize the Collins is a particularly im-
woman, he has promised president even before he portant target for Demo-
— Durbin has been propos- makes his decision. crats. She has voted for
ing a ceasefire of sorts after At a committee meeting some of Biden's lower court
wrenching partisan fights Tuesday morning, Grass- judges and against Barrett's
over former President Don- ley criticized Democratic nomination in 2020. Durbin
ald Trump's three nominees. advocates who pressured called her within hours of
The Democratic Illinois sen- President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris meet with Breyer to retire, and he learning that Breyer would
ator has been vigorously Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., right, chairman of the Senate Judiciary said nominees should be step down, and has made
reaching out to GOP col- Committee, and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, left, the ranking judged "solely on their qual- clear that Democrats won't
leagues since Breyer an- member, to discuss the upcoming Supreme Court vacancy in ifications." He said he told rush the confirmation, in
the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, in
nounced last week that he Washington. the president "that I want line with her call for a delib-
will step down this summer. Associated Press somebody that's going to erate process.
McConnell, the leader of interpret law, not make While Collins said Sunday
Senate Republicans, em- efforts by politicians to bully tempt at détente by the law." that Biden had "helped
phasized in his phone con- the court or change the president, who along with Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a politicize the entire nomi-
versation with Biden the structure of the judicial sys- Durbin and Grassley is a moderate Republican who nation process," she also
importance of a nominee tem, a McConnell spokes- veteran of a bygone era might be the most likely thanked Durbin for reach-
who believes in judicial in- man said. when Supreme Court jus- GOP senator to vote for a ing out and saying he will
dependence and will resist The meetings are an at- tices were confirmed with Biden nominee, called the provide whatever informa-
president's handling of the tion she may need.
nomination so far "clumsy." Collins said she wants "dig-
Other Republicans have nified hearings" and bipar-
openly stoked a debate tisan support — but added
over Biden's promise to that it depends on who the
nominate a Black woman. nominee is.
Mississippi Sen. Roger Wick- "The reason for us to try to
er said he views the pro- get the nomination process
cess as "affirmative action." back to the way it used to
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said be when Supreme Court
it's discriminatory because nominees were frequently
Biden is saying "wrong skin confirmed overwhelmingly
pigment and wrong Y chro- is the credibility of the court
mosome" to white men and is at stake," she said. "If the
women. court is perceived by the
The court was made up American public as a politi-
entirely of white men for cal institution, that is harm-
almost two centuries. Jus- ful and undermines support
tice Clarence Thomas and for its decisions."
the late Thurgood Marshall Two other Republicans
are the only two Black men have signaled they could
who have served on the vote for a Biden nominee
court. — if it is the right one. South
There has never been a Carolina Sens. Lindsey Gra-
Black woman. ham and Tim Scott have
Durbin has noted that Re- both praised J. Michelle
publican Presidents Ronald Childs, a federal judge
Reagan and Donald Trump who got her law degree
both promised to pick from the University of South
women and were praised Carolina School of Law. The
when they nominated White House has said Childs
Sandra Day O'Connor is under consideration.
and Amy Coney Barrett, "She has wide support in
respectively. There have our state," Graham said
been only five female jus- Sunday on CBS.q